Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life
by Final Poke Mario Fan
Summary: The Terresian Descender, Alex, has been reborn from the World Tree. Suddenly, a new threat to Terresia arises, and he and Ad Libitum go to war with another world in order to protect their own, while uncovering many horrifying truths...
1. Prologue: Sudden Rebirth

Hello! I am Final Poke Mario Fan, and I'm here to present to you a new story! I hope you like it!

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(A/N: This story contains MAJOR spoilers for Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. If you haven't beat the game yet, then be warned.)

Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Prologue: Sudden Rebirth

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_In space..._

_Above the world of Terresia, the dark abyss of space was silent. The stars seemed to fill up the blank void surrounding it, giving the place a serene feeling. Below the stars was a blue- green planet, Terresia. If one could look from space, they could see all the different regions of the planet, such as the green plains of the Ailily region, the rocky terrain of the Doplund region, and the cold land of the Gavada region. The planet was revolving around a sun, it's moon keeping the same orbit. _

_Suddenly, near the moon, a blue light shaped like a circle appeared. The light expanded, and when it was cleared, a new object stood in space above Terresia._

_Gilgulim._

_The monstrous looking world started orbiting the planet, but was slowly starting to descend towards Terresia. All of the sudden, a green dome surrounded Gilgulim from out of nowhere, and encased it, shining in the darkness._

_On the highest point of Gilgulim, Widdershin's dead body suddenly materialized, hitting the floor, lifeless, his face showing no emotion. Suddenly, another blue light that looked like a portal appeared a few feet behind Widdershin. Without warning, four figures stepped out of the portal, and the portal then dissapeared. One of the figures approached Widdershin's body._

_"Foolish Widdershin. That bastard didn't even realize what he was actually doing when he fed our world to this place. Ah well, it looks like he got what he was coming to him." The figure stated, kicking Widdershin's body. The figure was a tall man who looked like he was in his 40s-50s. He had dark brown hair the shade of chocolate with amethyst eyes that reflected the light radiating off of the sun. He wore dark black armor, with red shoulder plates, with yellow lining on the edges. He wore a black cape, and had a sword strapped to his left hip. He then turned around._

_"Alright you three, the time has come. Before we can begin our drop operation, we need to land in a safe place. I'm going to assign you tasks. One of you is going to install the control unit, another will control this place, and the last one will help navigate the landing. Which one of you will take care of the control?" The man asked, adressing the three._

_"I'll do it. I think I can get it done quickly." The first figure replied. It was a man who was about 35 and was about 6'4. He had blue hair that was cut short, and had light brown eyes. He wore dark green armor with blue shoulder plates with silver lining. Strapped on his back was a long golden spear, it's tip shining._

_"Heh heh heh...then I'll take care of the piloting." The second figure replied. It was another man was about 29 years old, and looked to be about 6'1. He had dark green hair that stood up, and had dark blue eyes. He wore a grey cloak that covered his entire body with a zipper going through the middle. He had silver gauntlets on, which he apparently used for hand-to-hand fighting._

_"Well... then I guess I'll be the navigator." The third figure stated. Unlike the other two, this person was a woman who was about 5'9, though it was mainly because her armor made her look taller. However, none of her physical features could be seen, as her entire body was covered from head to toe in brown armor, with a helm that concealed her entire face. On her right hip was a big sword._

_The leader nodded. "Alright then. Let's get to work." He then reached into a pouch on his left hip, and pulled out a small metal pellet. He gave the pellet to the blue-haired man. The blue-haired man turned around, and walked towards the end of the platform. He threw the pellet on the floor. When it hit the floor, the entire ground flashed green, and soon, all of Gilgulim was shining green, all four people watching it. When the light faded away, there was a chair with a small steering wheel in front of it._

_"Very good. All right, go ahead and begin piloting." The leader told the second man._

_The second man nodded, and walked over to the steering wheel. He sat down in the chair, and grasped the wheel. He then looked out towards Terresia, and then towards the woman._

_"Look, I've never been to this damn world before and I didn't bother gathering information on it. Where the hell should I land?" The second man asked the woman._

_The woman looked down at Terresia, and examined it. "I would recommend you try to land near the Ailily region. According the the recon we've recieved, Ailily is the weakest of the three regions. Therefore, we should land there, as it will give us an advantage."_

_The second man smirked. "Heh heh...I like the sound of that." He then turned the wheel, and Gilgulim suddenly started moving, the place shaking a bit._

_The leader smiled. "Finally...when this world is taken care of, our plans shall finally be complete...Widdershin truly was a fool...he didn't realize the true potenital he could achieve with Gilgulim..."_

_The woman then looked down at Widdershin's lifeless body, and behind her helm, she smirked. "When we return back to Vascallus, let's bring the body with us. I'm sure the people at the lab could use an interesting guinuea pig to work with."_

_The blue haired man smiled. "That's a smart idea. A corpse of an actual Descender...the people at the lab will go nuts when they see this."_

_The woman nodded. "Not only that, but we could use various samples from his body in order to help our magic developement. This is going to be very interesting."_

_All four of them smirked as Gilgulim slowly descended towards Terresia, the green dome still around it..._

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_Terresia, the Foot of the World Tree..._

The World Tree was silent as always, a peaceful sort of feeling lying around in it. Various animals were wandering around the tree as always, just going on with what they did. The scent of plants could be smelt, a mix of various scents creating a pleasent smell. The water was clear as always, a few animals drinking from it. The area was slightly humid, causing it to be a warm feeling.

In one section of the tree, the light was dim in a somewhat dark area of the tree. Several balls of light floated around the area, looking like falling snow. As the balls of light landed on the ground, suddenly, the tree shook for a few seconds, feeling like an earthquake in the tree. Suddenly, it stopped.

The balls of light seemed to be speaking. _"What's this? It seems as though Terresia is in danger once again. We never thought we'd have to do this again, but we must. You must save us again...good luck."_

Suddenly, the balls of light were appearing rapidly. Circling the ground, they all headed towards each other, and combined into one. As they collided, a loud screeching sound was heard, and the light blinded the whole room. When the light faded, something else was on the ground.

A young man lay on the ground, unconcious. He looked to be about 17 years old, and was about 5'11. He had light brown hair, and was wearing red leather clothes, wearing pants that reached over his knees. He wore leather gloves and had leather boots, and had a simple looking sword on his left hip. He seemed to be wearing some sort of chain necklace, but whatever was hanging at the end of the chain was unable to be seen, as it was under his shirt. The man slowly opened his eyes, revealing sea blue eyes.

The young man shook his head, looking around in confusement, eyes showing wonder.

_Where...where am I...Who...who am I...It...it feels like I have no memory...what am I?_ The man thought.

Groaning, he placed his hand on the ground and pushed himself up from the ground. He stood up on his legs, but wobbled when he tried to walk forward, knees shaking. He grabbed his legs and walked slowly, trying to walk easier. As he walked around, many thoughts passed his mind.

_Who or what am I? I can't remember anything...is this amnesia? It feels like I'm just an kid...having to learn how to do everything in life again. This place...it seems familiar somehow...but how?_

Walking forward, the man kept looking around the place in wonder, trying to process what he was seeing. As he moved ahead, he suddenly saw a Rhinosaurus looking straight at him, eyes filled with hunger. Without warning, the Rhinosaurus suddenly charged at full speed towards him, tusks extended. Instinctly, the man drew his sword, and suddenly, something popped in his head.

"RISING FALCON!"

The man jumped in midair, pointed his sword at the Rhinosaurus, and launched himself forward at the monster. He hit it right in the head, and landed on the other side of the Rhinosaurus. The Rhinosaurus cried out, then fell over, dead. Meanwhile, the man was confused.

_What...what was that technique I just performed? It just...it just seemed to pop into my head out of nowhere...just who am I? If I don't have a name, I might as well be no one._

In the central room on the base of the Foot of the World Tree, the man decided to take a rest, sitting down near the water. He looked into it and gazed at his reflection with a somewhat sad look on his face. Suddenly, his eyes caught onto something in his reflection in the water, and he stared at the object.

"Huh? A necklace?" The man wondered out loud.

The man grabbed the chain and pulled the rest of the chain out, viewing it. It was a long, silver chain with several links on it. At the end of the chain was a beautiful deep blue crystal, which brightly shined in the light of the World Tree.

As the man stared at it, his mind went blank and he suddenly remembered something...

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_(Flashback) (A/N: This flashback takes place during TOTW:RM, but I made it up and it's not actually in the game. This scene takes place the day before the final battle.)_

_The man was sitting on a bench in a table in an inn, various people walking around. On the opposite bench was a young, pink haired, green eyed girl. She wore a white dress with yellow on several spots of it, and black on the arms. She had black leggings that reached her feet, where she wore white and yellow shoes, reflecting her dress. Her hair was braided, and she wore a black ribbon on her hair. The two were silent._

_"...So, tommorow's finally it." The girl stated._

_The man nodded slowly. "Yeah. Tommorow, I'll stop Widdershin and his plans. Finally, Terresia will be safe."_

_"...Yeah." The girl replied, but in a sad tone._

_The man looked concerned. "What's wrong? Is it something I said?"_

_The girl quickly shook her head. "No, you didn't do anything. It's just...you reminded me of Pasca."_

_The man's eyes dropped. "Oh, umm...I'm sorry."_

_The girl looked at the man again. "It's alright. Now, I realize there's nothing I can do for Pasca, after Widdershin had lied and used me. What's important now is that we save Terresia so that Pasca's fate doesn't happen to this world. Although I may be the Descender of a destroyed world, I will still do what I can to protect this world!"_

_The man gave a sad smile. "That's more like it."_

_The girl noticed the man's sad look and frowned. "What's wrong? Let me guess: you're scared about tommorow?"_

_"Scared...scared doesn't even begin to describe it. I'm terrified. I'm going up against an enemy who's much stronger than me, smarter than me, more experienced than me, and is close to destroying Terresia. If I could avoid this fight, I would. But I can't. Because I'm this world's Descender, and it's my duty to protect this world. I love this world and it's people, and I'm not going to let them just die like this!" The man exclaimed._

_"You're right. I just wish...I just wish I could help you a bit more. All I can do for you tommorow is just buy some time. If only..." The girl replied._

_The man shook his head. "Don't think that way. I mean, you're probably my best friend here. You've done more than enough to help me out, and I want to thank you for it."_

_The girl looked surprised, and the man swore for a second, he could see a blush on her face. "R...really? Then...is there anyway I can help you at all for tommorow?"_

_The man smiled warmly. "Just wish me good luck, ok? That alone will be enough to reassure me."_

_The girl thought for a moment, and suddenly she looked up, a thought in her head. "I've got a better idea! Can you do something for me?"_

_"What?" The man asked._

_The girl smiled. "Close your eyes, and put your hand on the table, with your palm open."_

_The man looked confused, but nodded, and shut his eyes, placing his hand on the table. About ten seconds later, the man felt something on his palm._

_"Ok, open your eyes." The girl stated._

_The man looked in his hand, and his eyes widened when he saw what was on it. It was a beautiful blue crystal, with a deep shade that could make one mistake it for a sapphire if they didn't look closely enough._

_"This is amazing! But...where did you get this? And why are you giving it to me?" The man asked._

_The girl just smiled more. "I found it in the Mines one day. I thought it was a pretty crystal, so I took it with me. And as why I'm giving it to you...it's a good luck charm! As long as you have it with you, I will always be supporting you!"_

_The man smiled widely. "One minute." He then reached into his bag, and pulled out a few tools and a big block of silver. Working with the silver, he turned it into a chain necklace in about ten minutes. He then grabbed the crystal, used his tools to make a hole in it, and placed the crystal on the necklace. He then held the necklace up, and placed it around his neck._

_"There. This way, I'll always have your good luck charm with me, and I'll always think of you when I look at this. Thank you...Kanonno." The man explained, smiling widely._

_The girl, apparently called Kanonno, smiled back. "You're welcome...Alex..."_

_(End Flashback)_

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The man looked back at the necklace now, even more confused. Suddenly, names started rushing through his head like a storm.

_"Mormo..."_

_"Ad Libitum..."_

_"Ganser..."_

_"Widdershin..."_

_"Gilgulim..."_

_"Aurora..."_

_"Kanonno..."_

_"...Alex..."_

The man suddenly gasped, and he looked around him in shock. He then looked back at the necklace.

_Yes...I remember everything now...I'm Alex...the Terresian Descender...born to protect Terresia...the last thing I did...I defeated Widdershin, destroyed Gilgulim, and then I revived the World Tree among with Kanonno and Mormo..._

Upon thinking of that name, the man, Alex, looked back in the water with a sad face. He knew that, despite what he had promised, that he would never see Mormo or Kanonno again...both of them leaving for their destructed worlds in Gilgulim...He would miss both of them a lot...Mormo, who had been his faithful friend and companion for the entire journey. Kanonno, who had been his best friend and whom Alex trusted a lot...even after she had fought with him...For some reason, even though Mormo was his companion the whole time, he missed Kanonno even more, but he didn't know why. Silently, Alex cried tears for his lost friends

_I think I should go to Ailily for now. When I'm there, I can think about what I'm going to do with my life. But I'd better disguise myself: I don't want to attract any attention._

With that, Alex got off the ground, looked towards the path that lead towards the exit, and started walking towards there. As he was walking, a shocking thought entered his head.

_Wait a minute...Descenders are only supposed to appear in their worlds when the world is in danger. But...what kind of danger is Terresia in?_

Alex then slowly walked towards the exit of the Foot of the World Tree, determined to find out the reason for his rebirth...

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So, how was it? I wanted to make it longer, but I couldn't think of much for now. Please R&R!

(Added December 28th: A/N: I rewrote the opening a little better to reflect the four figures personalities a little better.)


	2. Chapter 1: Old Friends

Hello everyone! It's me, Final Poke Mario Fan, here with the next chapter. Anyways, here we go!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my six OC's, I don't own anything in this story.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 1: Old Friends

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_Several miles away from Ailily, 7:20 A.M. _

Alex was walking towards Ailily, the sound of his boots echoing in the empty field. Instead of the leather armor he was wearing when he woke up, he was now wearing a Great Plate, wearing Star Leggings, a Silver Gauntlet, and a Cross Helm, which concealed his face. Looking through his equipment, however, he couldn't find his Radiant equipment.

_Hmm...I wonder what happened to it? I was wearing the Radiant equipment when I last went to sleep...I went through a lot of work in order to obtain that equipment. Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter anyway. It's the strength and skill that matters, not the armor._

Grabbing out a canteen of water, Alex held it up to his lips and drank it, the cool water pouring down into his throat. As he sealed the cap on the lid, his stomach loudly growled. Alex then gave a smile to himself.

"Heh...it's been a while since I last ate, huh? When I get to Ailily, I guess I should go get something to eat first, then figure things out." Alex stated to himself.

Alex then frowned. _But still...I don't know how long I've been gone for. Hell, for all I know, this could be a hundred years into the future! That's another thing I've got to do when I reach town: find out what year this is. If I'm going to try to start a new life, first I've got to adjust to the times._

Alex then continued walking, gazing up ahead. In the distance, he could see Ailily. It was still situated on top of the branches of the World Tree, the waterfalls hitting the ground. Many buildings were spread all around the town, the whole place quiet. Looking closely, Alex saw that a lot of the houses looked the same from the last time he was in town, and Alex smiled to himself.

_Huh...on second thought, maybe adjusting won't be very hard at all. But still, I should keep a low profile now. It's a possibility that I'm a celebrity to Terresia by now...I don't want any of that attention. Still...it's harder to recognize me now...I look older now than when I was here...come to think of it, why am I older now?_

Alex then reached the base of the root that began the final leg of the trip to Ailily. As he stepped on the branch, a strange flash of light briefly shone for a second. Alex looked around, and shrugged it off. However, as he began walking, he looked at the waterfall, and stopped dead.

The waterfall had stopped flowing.

Now puzzled, Alex quickly looked around him, surprised. As he was turning to his right, he heard a voice.

"There's no need for alarm. Everything is fine." A man's voice rang out from behind Alex.

Gasping, Alex turned around, and saw a figure behind him. A man was standing a few yards behind him. He was weaing a white cloak that reached down to his feet. He wore white leather clothes that reached his feet, and had white boots. He wore a white mask with what looked to be a white bird beak on it that concealed his face. Alex immediately drew his sword.

"Who...who are you?! Answer me!" Alex exclaimed, in his battle stance.

"Relax, Terresian Descender. We mean no harm." The man replied. Alex suddenly noticed that the man had two voices. One voice was a very deep one, and the other one sounded somewhat like a mix between high-pitched and cracked, however, it was still a man's voice.

Alex gasped again. "How...how did you...know who I was? How do you even know what a Descender is?"

The man crossed his arms. "...Let's just say we know a lot about you, Terresian Descender. And we mean a _lot_."

"...And just what do you mean by 'we'? I don't see anyone else here!" Alex questioned, voice snapping at the man.

"...Let's just leave it at that for now. We have much more pressing matters to discuss. We can assure you that we mean no harm." The man replied, pausing.

"..." Alex was in thought. A few seconds later, he sheathed his sword.

"Very well, I'm listening. What is it that you want to tell me?" Alex asked.

The man nodded. "Good. Alright, listen up. Why do you think that you have been reborn into this world? For what purpose is it that a Descender that has saved his world been brought back for a second time only two months after he saved it?"

"...I have no idea. That's what I'm trying to figure out myself." Alex stated. _So...it's only been two months after I defeated Widdershin..._

"That's correct. You don't know why you've been reborn. We, however, _do_ know." The man replied.

Alex looked at the man, shocked. "You...you do?! Then what is it? Why have I been reborn? Tell me! I must know! And who are you?!"

The man shook his head. "...Just call us 'Prophet'. We don't know the exact reason. However, something is coming this way towards Terresia. We don't know what it is, but it's intentions are not benign, you can bet that."

"Something...not benign? What is it?" Alex asked.

Suddenly, Prophet seemed to flicker. "Unfortunately, we can't tell you. We can only appear to you for a short time only, and if we tried to explain, we'd dissapear before we could finish."

"Then...then what should...what should I do?!" Alex exclaimed frantically.

"Gather your friends. You must also convince all three nations to create a powerful, united army, and tell them to make it quick! And no matter what, you must find the Jade Key! Find the Jade Key, and it'll unlock the answer! Also, remember the name 'Cruxis'! We shall meet again!" Prophet explained, and as he finished, he dissapeared from sight. Seconds later, the waterfalls started moving again, and time resumed it's flow.

"Wait!" Alex shouted. When he saw no one there, he turned around, deep in thought.

_The Jade Key...a united army...what was he talking about? I think that I should try to get in contact with Kratos and the rest of Ad Libitum as soon as possible. If what Prophet said was true, then something very evil is headed this way._ Alex thought, walking up the root to Ailily. He then let out a huge sigh.

_What a mess..._

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_Ailily, Plaza_.

Alex stood in the middle of the Plaza in Ailily. A few people were walking through the plaza to various parts of the city, going on with their daily lies. Looking up, Alex could see the Ad Libitum guild a few levels higher than him, and Alex felt as if the place was beckoning him to go there. Just as Alex was about to go, he felt hunger pains and heard his stomach growl once again.

_Right..first I need to get some breakfast before going to Ad Libitum. If I go to Kratos on an empty stomach, I probably won't be as clear to him when I talk to him. I guess I'll need to pay a visit to the Inn first then._ Alex thought. Turning away from the Ad Libitum building, he looked below it, where he saw the Inn. Smiling, he then began walking towards it...

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_Ailily, Inn_

Now, Alex stood outside of the Inn, in front of the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened the door, and walked in. Looking inside, the Inn had not changed one bit since Alex's last visit. The same green carpet was on the floor, and the same Innkeeper stood behind her desk. Alex then walked over to the Innkeeper's desk, but then heard some voices. He turned around, and froze when he saw the source of the voices.

On the southmost table, Lloyd was sitting down, a plate of food in front of him. He was sitting in the middle of the table, with Genis on his left, who was engaged in a conversation with Lloyd. But sitting on the right of Lloyd was a person Alex had never seen before. It was a girl, who looked like she was slightly younger than Lloyd. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She had on a strange white jacket-like shirt that had blue lines running down the edges of them, and had black pants on, with white boots. She had a strange red crystal on her neck, which shone brilliantly. She appeared to be smiling widely, and talking to Lloyd and Genis.

_Damn it...I didn't expect to run into any of my friends so quickly...who is that girl anyway? No matter. For now, I'll try to ignore them. They can't see who I am while I'm wearing this helm, after all._ Alex thought. He then walked up to the Innkeeper's desk.

The innkeeper looked at Alex, and gave a startled gasp. "O...oh. Can...can I help you?"

Alex realized then that the innkeeper probably found him intimidating with all the armor he had on. "...Sorry if I startled you. I'd like a coffee and two pancakes, please."

"All right. They'll be brought to you shortly, sir." The innkeeper replied. Alex nodded, and walked over to a table. While walking to his table, he suddenly noticed that Lloyd, Genis, and the girl were staring at him. Using all of his power to hold back returning the stare, he walked over to his table, a purposely sat down where only his back could be seen by the three.

Alex then breathed a sigh of relief._ Man...that was _too_ close. Once I'm done here, I'll go to Kratos, explain what I know, and propose a plan up for the three nations to unite their armies and begin a massive training program. I just hope this works._

As Alex was thinking, the innkeeper walked over to him.

"Your pancakes and coffee, sir." The innkeeper spoke, placing a plate and cup on the table.

Alex nodded. "Thank you." He then grabbed his helm, lifted the part in front of his mouth slightly open, and began eating and drinking. While doing so, he started reading a newspaper he had picked up on his way to the Inn. However, nothing of paticular interest was written in there, and Alex continued to silently eat and drink. When he had finished, he placed some Gald on the table, then bagan walking off.

"Excuse me!" A familiar voice rang out, directed at Alex. Alex silently cursed as he turned around. Standing in front of him was Lloyd, his hand towards him.

"...Yes?" Alex replied as calmly as possible, trying to hide any emotion in his voice.

Lloyd scratched his head. "You, um, dropped this." Lloyd reached out his hand, and opened it to reveal about 100 Gald.

Alex took it, and placed it in his sack. "Err...thank you."

Lloyd smiled, extending his hand. "Hey, no problem. By the way, I'm Lloyd."

"...A pleasure to meet you, Lloyd." Alex replied, shaking Lloyd's hand. He nodded to Lloyd, then walked outside of the Inn, and gave a gigantic sigh..

_Man...that was even closer. Alright, that does it. I've got to head to Ad Libitum before I run into anyone alse I know._ Alex thought. Looking above him, he could see the Ad Libitum guild building a few levels above the Inn. Alex then began walking down the road towards the guild...

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_Ailily, Guild_.

This time, Alex stood outside the doors of the Ad Libitum guild. His arm was extended, but it paused when he reached the handle. Behind the helm Alex was wearing, he had a nervous look on his face, sweat dropping down.

_Damn...I feel so nervous. I mean, it's not like Kratos is going to be all like "Hey Alex, nice to see you're back after you've dissapeared for the last two months, how's it been?". He'll definitely been asking questions. And Raine...Raine's going to treat me like a test subject when she finds out. I can't back out now, however. If I back out, I'll be endangering all of Terresia. It's now or never..._

Alex grabbed the handle, and opened the door, and walked in. Like then Inn, the guild hadn't changed a bit since he'd last been there. However, his nervousness rose again when he saw Kratos and Raine staring at him intensly. Alex then took a deep breath, and tried to alter his voice a bit so neither of them would recognize him.

"Um...sorry for the sudden intrusion, but...you...you're Kratos Aurion, right?" Alex stated, adressing Kratos directly, ignoring Raine.

"...Yes. What of it?" Kratos replied in his deep voice, staring even more intensely at Alex.

Alex took another deep breath. "Uh, yeah, well, um...can I speak to you in private? I have a matter I must discuss with you."

"...What is this matter you must speak with me privately? What's wrong with just going out and saying. In case you haven't noticed, there's only two of us here." Kratos replied in a bored voice.

"I assure you, Kratos, that this is a very urgent matter that must be spoken to you in private first. Will you agree?" Alex asked, sounding a lot less nervous.

Kratos sighed. "Very well. There's a room over there to the right. We'll speak in there." Kratos then motioned over to a door, and then walked over to it, waiting. Alex then walked towards the room, aware of Raine staring at him with interest. Alex then walked into the room, and Kratos walked in after him, shutting the door. The room they were standing in was just a simple room, covered in wood, but there was no furniture or anything. It was clear that no one had used this room in a while, as it was very dusty.

"Well? What is this 'urgent matter' that you wish to speak to me about?" Kratos asked.

Alex sighed. "It's been a while, Kratos."

Kratos eyes showed a slight hint of surprise, but his face betrayed his emotions. "Have we met before? You sound as if though you know me."

"And you know me as well, Kratos. This will explain all." Alex replied. He grabbed his helm, and slowly started lifting it off from his head. As he took it above his mouth, Alex could feel fresh air entering his mouth. Finally, he finshed taking off his helm, and looked at Kratos. Kratos' eyes were filled with shock, and if he wasn't so damn good at hiding his emotions, his mouth would have dropped.

"Alex?! Is...is that you?" Kratos asked, his voice stunned.

Alex nodded. "Yeah...that's right, Kratos."

"But...but how? We looked for you for a week, trying to find you. Some of us assumed you were dead." Kratos asked, calming down a little.

"Hmm...I guess they were partially right." Alex replied, sighing.

Kratos now looked confused. "Hmm? What do you mean? Alex...tell me...what have you been doing the last two months?"

"Alright, I'll make it short. Basically, I defeated Widdershin, destroyed Gilgulim, revived the World Tree, and then faded from existance back into the World Tree, and just today, I was reborn from the World Tree. So yeah, you could in fact say that I died." Alex explained.

"I see...You look a little older than you were two months ago. Do you know why?" Kratos replied.

Alex than cleared his throat. " I don't know. Any way, on to the 'urgent matter'. Kratos, don't you find something odd about my rebirth?"

"Huh? Well, it is odd for _anyone_ to be reborn, so yes, your rebirth is very odd." Kratos answered.

Alex shook his head. "That's not what I meant, Kratos. Think about it. I'm a Descender. Descenders only appear in their worlds when they are in danger. You getting it?"

"So...you think that Terresia is in some sort of danger?" Kratos asked.

"That would be the only logical explanation for my rebirth. Plus...several things that happened today that are convincing me that this is so." Alex repled.

"...Very well. I think it'd be best if you explained what has happened to you today." Kratos answered.

Alex smirked. "Somehow, I knew you were going say that. Very well, I will explain."

"This morning, I guess in between 6:30 and 7:00, I woke up in the World Tree, wearing leather armor. At first, I couldn't remember anything, and I felt rather...er...uncoordinated, let's say, though I did remember a sword technique. When I took a rest, I saw something that I knew, and after I saw it, my memory returned. I decided to return to Ailily, and possibly start a new life. However, on my way here, something changed that.

"When I reached the root that leads to Ailily, suddenly, time stopped. When I turned around, I saw a man in a white cloak, who wore a white mask, so I couldn't see his face. He was a bit strange...he referred to himself as 'we', not 'I', and when I asked him about, he didn't answer me. Also, he had two voices, one deep, and one high-pitched. Anyway, he knew I was a Descender, and he told me to call him 'Prophet'.

"He claimed that he knew why I had been reborn, and that something was headed towards Terresia. Something with evil intentions. However, he did not know what it was. As he said this he began fading away, and said that he could only appear for a short time. He then told me a few cryptic messages." Alex explained.

"And what were these cryptic messages?" Kratos asked.

Alex scratched his head. "Er, well, let's see...he told me to 'gather my friends', tell all three nations that they need to create a large, powerful united army, and fast, find the 'Jade Key' as it would unlock the answer."

Kratos looked at him with interest. "I see...well..."

Alex suddenly looked up. "Oh yeah, there was one more thing. He told me to remember the name 'Cruxis'."

When Alex said the word "Cruxis", he suddenly noticed that he thought, for a second, that Kratos visibly paled and his eyes were wide with shock, but they quickly dissapeared.

"Did he...did he mention why to remember the name 'Cruxis'?" Kratos asked, a little nervously.

Alex shook his head. "No. He dissapeared almost right after that."

Kratos seemed to be relieved. "I see..."

"...Well? What do you think we should do?" Alex asked, looking at him.

"First of all, we should gather the rest of the Ad Libitum members, and explain the situation to them. At the same time, we should send a letter to the nations telling them about this, and requested they build up and unite their armies. Finally, we should try to gather any information about this threat." Kratos explained.

Alex nodded. "Good idea. By the way, do you know whatever happened to my Radiant equipment? I dissapeared while I was wearing them, but when I woke up, they were gone."

"I have them." Kratos replied.

Alex looked surprised. "You do?"

Kratos nodded. "Yes. About a week after you dissapeared, I was walking through the World Tree, when I found all of the equipment just lying there. I didn't want them to go to waste, so I took them back. I'll give you them back tommorow."

Alex smiled. "Thank you." Kratos then cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go begin the preparations. Meet me back here tommorow at 8:00 in the morning. You should go get a room at the inn for today. And by the way, keep your helm on for now. You don't want to go attracting any attention." Kratos stated, heading for the door.

"All right." Alex replied, placing his helm back on. Kratos then grabbed the door handle, and opened it, walking out of the room. Alex, however, was confused internally.

_Hmm...why did Kratos seemed so worried when I said the name Cruxis?_

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How was it? I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible! R&R!

**A word to reviewers who are voting. All the Tales characters that were in TOTW: RM will be appearing in the story, so you don't need to vote for them! Anyway, here's the current vote status.**

**Tales of Phantasia: Cless, 2 votes, Mint, 1 vote, Suzu, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Destiny: Kongman, 1 vote, Johnny, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Eternia: None yet.**

**Tales of Rebirth: None yet.**

**  
Tales of Legendia: Chloe, 1 vote, Grune, 1 vote.**

**Remember to vote now!**


	3. Chapter 2: Preparing For Combat

Hello again. I, Final Poke Mario Fan, have once again appeared to give you the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's, I own nothing in this story.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 2: Preparing for Combat

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_Unknown location..._

_It was a dim room. The room was covered in bricks that covered the area, with a single wooden chair standing in the middle of it. On the wooden chair was a man, bound to the chair by chains surrounded by purple energy. He was a tall, young looking man, about in his 20's. He had long blonde hair that reached behind his arms, and had blue eyes. He wore a strange white jumpsuit that covered him entirely, with yellow lines around it. He looked like he was wounded, and gritted his teeth at the people in front of him._

_The four people who were on Gilgulim earlier were standing in front of the man. They too, looked wounded, but not as badly as the bound man. The green haired man then stepped forward._

_"My, my...you're not as strong as I thought. In fact, you're rather weak. Can't do much about it, huh? And here I was, expecting a great challenge, and we beat you down in a minute!" The green haired man gloated, chuckling._

_The blonde man snarled at him. "Shut the hell up...you were fighting four-on-one. If I had my Seraphim or any more people from my organization to fight alongside me, you four would be dead."_

_The green haired man started laughing. "Organization?! What 'organization'? You mean the one you run in order to ressurect your dead slut of a sister?"_

_At this point, the blonde man lost it, and yelled out, trying, in futile, to break free of the bounds he was wrapped in. "You bitch! I'll kill you!"_

_The green haired man suddenly smiled widely, and pulled out a remote with a few buttons. "Ah ah ah...I wouldn't do that if I were you. That is, unless, you want four thousand years of work to go to waste."_

_"What...what are you saying?!" The blonde man snapped, his face going pale._

_The green haired man chuckled. "Heh heh heh heh heh...Allow me to explain. When we fought you and promptly beat the crap out of you, I place some special devices in the room we fought in...what's it called...the Hall of the Great Seed? Anyway, these devices are linked to what remains of your sister. If you try to do anything...rash, I'll press this button, and your precious sister will be gone, for good this time."_

_The blonde haired man gasped loudly, eyes growing wide. "You..you little..."_

_"Calm down. If you remain tense, we _will_ pull the plug on your sister. Now, we have a proposition for you. I suggest you listen to us carefully. After all, you're not in your own world anymore." The blue haired man stated, arms crossed._

_"Tch. Fine, you wretched humans, I'll listen to your little proposition. Now what is it?" The blonde man asked._

_The leader smiled. "I'd knew you'd see it our way. All right, I'll get straight to the point. We want you to lend us some of your soldiers and your technology." _

_The blonde man started laughing at the top of his lungs. "You...you must be joking. Why...why the hell would I lend you soldiers and technology? You four came to my place, killed several of my guards, and wounded me greatly! So tell me: why would I give you some of my resources?"_

_"Because we have something in return for your services that we'd do for you, Yggdrasill. Or shall I say Mithos?" The leader replied._

_The blonde man, Mithos, gritted his teeth for a second. "And what would this 'something' be? I've been working for the last four thousand years. There's nothing thas you can do for me in return that I want."_

_The leader shook his head. "Oh, but I think there is. You see, there _is _something that we can offer you. You see, we need these resources for an invasion that we're planning to another world. If you give us these resources to us, and we complete the invasion, we can do something _very _special for you...say, reviving your dead sister?"_

_"...What...what did you just say?" Mithos asked in a stunned voice, shocked._

_"You heard correctly. We have developed a method in which we can revive someone back from the dead. We've tested it out, and it works just fine. So, what do you say, Mithos? You give us your soldiers and technology, and revive your sister. It's a much better method than foolishly tricking men and women around the world to send people to you who aren't even useful." The leader asked._

_Mithos thought for a minute, then he laughed. "Really now...this is interesting indeed. Very well, I'll do it. I'll lend you some of my soldiers and my technology. In return, you have to revive Martel for me once your little invasion ends."_

_"Wise choice, Mithos. I agree to your condition." The leader replied. He then turned towards the woman._

_"General Belladonna! Escort Mithos back to his world! Watch him and make sure he is true to his word!" The leader asked._

_The woman, Belladonna, nodded. "Yes sir!" She then untied Mithos from the chair, but kept his arms bound and his legs chained. The leader extended his hand, and a blue portal emerged from the end of his hand, illuminating the room. Belladonna and Mithos walked through the portal, dissapearing. A few seconds later, the portal dissapeared._

_"Heh. That went well." The green haired man sarcastically stated._

_"We got him to agree. That was enough." The blue haired man replied._

_"Yes. Now, with this extra support, our invasion should go more smoothly. Darius, how much longer until Gilgulim lands near Ailily?" The leader asked the blue haired man._

_The blue haired man, Darius, crossed his arms. "Hmm...I'd say another a week. The descent takes a while, after all."_

_The leader nodded. "Soon...once we arrive, it'll be all over, and we'll accomplish our plans. Things are going good..."_

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_Ailily, Guild, 8:00_.

Alex was standing outside the Guild once again, yawning. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Too much had been in his mind for him to go to sleep.

_Damn...I can't get my mind off it...What is this danger that I was reborn to fight against?Who is Prophet? And what is the Jade Key and Cruxis? Argh...this is so damn confusing...I can't figure this out! If only Mormo was here or something...he might've been able to figure it out. Oh well...Kratos wanted to see me here this morning...wonder what he wants._

Sighing, he grabbed the handle to the door, and pulled it open, seeing Kratos standing in his usual spot. Raine, however, was not there. Kratos glanced at Alex.

"Glad you could make it." Kratos simply stated.

Alex yawned. "All right, what's this about? Why did you want me here in the morning?"

"Alright, listen up. After hearing what you told me yesterday, I began making preparations, basically making a strategy. I've written letters to the governments of Ailily, Doplund, and Gavada discussing the army build up, telling them they'll need to build up their armies." Kratos explained.

"Do you think they'll listen?" Alex asked, eyes downwards.

"It's hard to say. I told them the information came from a very reliable informant, but I'm still not sure. However, Ad Libitum is still a powerful force here in Ailily, so maybe they'll listen. I'm not that worried about Doplund, as Garr has some connections to the government and may be able to help convince them. As for Gavada, they owe Ad Libitum a debt after the poor treatment they gave Ad Libitum when they were manipulated into squandering their mana. I'm sure they'll comply." Kratos replied.

"Well, that's good to hear. Is that all?" Alex asked.

Kratos shook his head. "No, there's more. I asked all the Ad Libitum members to assemble in Doplund. We'll be having a meeting in the strategy room in the Doplund Guild. The meeting will happen at 1:00 today."

Alex nodded. "That makes sense. Travel to Doplund takes a while, so that'll be enough time for everyone to assemble."

Kratos reached into his pocket, and pulled out a letter. "Take this. This letter will allow you access to the strategy room. It officialy recognizes you as a guest of mine who's going to be in the meeting."

"Alright, thanks." Alex replied, taking the letter. He had a troubled look on his face.

Kratos looked at Alex's face. "You're very nervous, huh?"

"...All of them probably think I'm dead or something like that. They'll be shocked and have millions of questions for me. Also...I'm meeting my friends again after two months. It's a bit overwhelming, how much a person's life can change in a few short hours." Alex replied, nodding.

"Hmph, indeed it is. But you must not forget, there's no guarantee that they'll still think of you as a friend." Kratos coldly answered.

"I think you're wrong, Kratos. No how long you've been away from your friends, I think you'll still be friends with them deep down, and they will resurface when they meet again. However, if a friend has truly done something really bad to you or other people, then I think it'd be ok to leave them, no matter how long you've known them or how intimidating they may be." Alex replied, though he was slightly recoiling from the comment.

"...I see." Kratos stated, looking down. He seemed to be thinking about something, and his face was troubled. Finally, he looked back at Alex.

"Listen, me and the other Ad Libitum members of this town will be leaving in half an hour to head to Doplund. You should go ahead and leave before us." Kratos stated.

Alex looked confused. "Huh? Why? And by the way, can I have my Radiant gear back now?"

"If you come traveling with m and the others, they will undoubtly question who you are, and you're identity will probably slip out before we even get to Doplund. If you travel alone, there'll be no such questioning, and we won't even see you. And about the Radiant gear, not yet. If anyone sees you with it, it'll be a dead giveaway to your identity. Understood?" Kratos explained.

"...Yeah, you're probably right. I think I'll head off to Doplund now. I guess I'll see you there." Alex replied.

"Be careful." Kratos simply stated.

Alex then went back to the door, reached for the handle and opened the door. He then exited the building and shut the door, sighing.

_But...Kratos may be right. What if my friends don't think of me as one of their friends. I mean, I liked them, but I never stopped to wonder whether they liked me back..._Alex sadly thought. He then shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his head.

_Ah...anyway, I'd better head for Doplund before I run into anyone._ And with that, Alex ran off, heading to the exit of Ailily.

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_Terresia, Ailily Region_.

Alex was walking down a dirt road headed towards Doplund. According to what he had heard, a new passage to Doplund had been constructed, apparently a mountain trail. As he walked down the path, he, as usual, was in very deep thought.

_Damn it...I'm so nervous! How will everyone react when they see me? They'll definately bombard me with questions. I guess I'd better tell them the truth about me...the fact that I'm a Descender...If only I had someone to talk to about this...Kratos isn't really good at that kind of thing. If there's ever been a moment where I've been truly alone in my life, it's this one._ Alex thought.

_Then what is it you truly desire?_ Alex's mind seemed to speak back at him, asking him this question. Alex seemed stunned, but he thought it over.

_I guess...I guess what I truly want...is to be with people. To not have to feel alone. To truly feel happy and wanted. To be loved. Anything that doesn't make me feel lonely...from what I've seen from the other Descenders I met, they've been lonely in their worlds...disgusted by people. I don't want to be like that. I...I don't want to be a Descender. I mean, I love my world and it's people, but a Descender's life is so...tragic._

_So you desire freedom from your obligations of this world._

_No! Not entirely! I merely wish to live...as a normal person. I'd still help and protect people even if I wasn't a Descender. All I want...is to have a good, normal life._

_You can't do anything about that._

_I know! I just...Damn, what am I thinking? There's no escape from a Descender's life. He or she is just born to save their world, and when they do that, they are disposed of...I don't like that._ And with that, Alex's internal conflict stopped.

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_Doplund, three hours later._

Alex stood at the gates of the city, observing it. Like Ailily, not much had changed in the past two months. People were still walking around, going on with their daily lives. Guards stood at the gate, looking out for anything dangerous. The multi-layered city's building's were still looming over it's inhabitants, watching everything. Alex could see the Guild in the distance.

_Alright, I'd better head to the Guild now. After all, there's really nothing for me to do right now._ Alex thought, walking in the direction of the Guild.

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_Doplund, Guild._

Alex was currently standing outside of the Guild, staring at the door.

_Heh...this is just like yesterday...talk about deja vu. This time, I can't tell anyone my identity, no matter who it is._

With that, Alex grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open, entering it. The Doplund Guild still looked the same, with it's benches and water. At the end of the room, Philia and Garr were standing there, looking at him.

"Oh, hello. I haven't seen you before...is there something you need?" Philia asked.

Taking a deep breath, Alex walked forward, altering his voice a bit. "Yes. I'm here for the meeting today in the strategy room. I have a letter from Kratos in Ailily stating so." He then took out the letter, and then gave it to Garr, who opened it and read it through.

"Hmm...I see. You're a guest who was told to come by Kratos?" Garr asked.

Alex nodded. "Yes. I'm to take part in the meeting."

"Well then, you can go on ahead to the strategy room. I'll escort you." Garr replied. He then walked over to the wall behind him, touched something, and the wall opened up, revealing a secret passage. Alex walked into it, with Garr following behind him. There was a staircase leading downwards, illuminated by a few candles. When they reached the bottom of the passage, a door lay ahead of them, and Garr opened it. Alex then walked inside.

He was in a large brown room. A large green carpet sat on his feet, and covered the enite room. On Alex's left was a large platform like structure with a blackboard on it, a piece of chalk sitting nearby. On his right was a long wooden desk, with many chairs that faced the board. A chandelier hung on the ceiling, lighting up the room. There was a bookshelf with various books on strategy at the end of the room.

"Will you be alright in here?" Garr asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Alex replied.

Garr nodded. "Very well, then I'm heading back upstairs. The meeting begins in an hour and a half. Are you sure you don't want anything to eat or drink?"

Alex shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm not that hungry."

Garr nodded, and turned around, walking through the passage, shutting the door behind him. Alex then walked over to the desks, and took a seat in one of them. He sat there, and waited for the meeting to start while he went over his thoughts...

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_Doplund, Guild strategy room, 1:00._

Alex was still sitting in his seat, waiting. Suddenly, he heard the opening of a door, some footsteps, and the sound of voices. Alex gulped, and he braced himself.

_This is it...Good thing my helm's on, or they'd be swarming over me in seconds._

The door then opened, and Alex saw all of his friends walk in. Some were talking to each other, while others were just silent. Most of them glanced at Alex with a puzzled '_who is that guy_' look, but when he saw Lloyd, Lloyd looked surprised.

"Hey! You're that guy from the inn yesterday! I didn't know you were an Ad Libitum member too!" Lloyd exclaimed, a little surprised.

"Oh, umm...I'm not actually an Ad Libitum member." Alex simply replied.

Lloyd took a seat next to him, Genis and the blonde haired girl sitting nearby him. "Huh? You're not? Then who are you."

"Umm...that guy named Kratos asked me to come here." Alex lied, hoping it would fool Lloyd.

Lloyd looked puzzled. "Kratos? That's weird..."

Fortunately for Alex, Kratos entered the room, ending all conversation in the room. He then cleared his throat.

"We will now begin the 15th official strategy meeting of Ad Libitum. Is everyone here?" Kratos stated.

Eugene spoke up. "Unfortunately, some of our newer recruits couldn't be here. They instead asked us to send them letters informing them of what happens in here."

"Hmm...I see. All right then, let's begin." Kratos announced.

"We've recieved intelligence from a source that Terresia is, once again, in danger." Kratos began. Several gasps and groans rang out through the room.

"We do not know what this danger exactly is, but it's intentions are not benign. I will now call up the informant to explain what this means." Kratos continued, then motioned for Alex. Alex stood up, and nervously walked over to the platform, some murmurs ringing out in the room.

Alex took another deep breath, and started speaking. "Err, well...I was walking to Ailily when...I saw this man blocking my path." Alex started, altering the story, as he thought people would find it strange if he told them that time had stopped.

"He told me that something evil was headed towards Terresia, and that I would need to gather the Ad Libitum members. He also told me that we need to ask the three nations of Terresia to build up their armies and unite them, and that we would need to find something called the 'Jade Key', as it would unlock the answer, and to remember the name 'Cruxis'." Alex explained.

"Hmm..." Lloyd spoke out, a strange look on his face.

"...Is something the matter, Lloyd?" Kratos asked.

"...Well, that name 'Cruxis'. It...sounds familiar somehow. I...just can't remember what." Lloyd replied.

Genis looked at Lloyd. "Huh...now that you mention it, I think I've heard it somewhere before too."

"Me too!" The blonde-haired girl chirped.

"Yes...it sounds a bit familiar as well." Raine commented.

"...Do you...know what this word 'Cruxis' means?" Kratos questioned, though Alex thought he sounded a little nervous.

"Hmm...I guess not. Maybe it's just my imagination." Lloyd replied.

Kratos looked relieved again, but Alex was in thought.

_Hmm...this is the second time Kratos has reacted nervously to the word Cruxis, and the second time he's looked relieved when someone claims he doesn't know what it is...does Kratos know something I don't...?_

"Hold on a minute. Why did this man tell you about this? If anything, he should have told a high-ranking Ad Libitum member about the situation. So why you?" Senel suddenly pointed out.

Alex cursed to himself. _Damn it...Senel's got a point. They don't know who I am, so they just think of me as probably just some ordinary guy._

"He's right. There must have been a reason that the man chose to talk to you in paticular. Do you know why?" Eugene added.

Alex was starting to get really nervous. "Um, well...not really."

Leon scoffed. "Hmph. We're not idiots, you know. So tell us: why would the man pick a nobody like you to speak to instead of one of us?"

"Er...umm..." Alex stuttered, sweat dropping down his head.

Soon, everyone in the hall was beginning to ask, in their own version, for Alex to tell them why the man would talk to Alex. Desperate for help, Alex turned to Kratos. Kratos merely gave him a glance that seemed to say "_There's no getting out of this one. Just tell them who you are._"

"Ok, ok! I'll tell you!" Alex exclaimed. Soon, everyone quieted down. Alex took a deep breath, and spoke again.

"The reason the man talked to me is...because I _do _have some sort of significance." Alex explained.

"Oh really? What sort of significance?" Arche asked.

Alex sighed. "I'll tell you...but first, here's part of the reason." Alex then reached for the hinges of his helm. He could hear his heart beating loudly.

_This is it. It's now or never..._

Alex grabbed the bottom of his helm, and slowly pulled it off. When he took of the helm fully, many gasps emerged from the room, and most people had a look of shock on there face. Voices started to ring out.

"Is...that...Alex?"

"No way!"

"I thought he was dead!"

"Where've you been the last two months?"

As Alex predicted, everyone in the room was asking him questions nonstop. Alex sighed, and cleared his throat.

"People! I know you're shocked that I've appeared suddenly after two months, but I'll take questions once the meeting is over. Let me continue!" Alex exclaimed.

With that, people calmed down, and were silent, although many of them still had shocked looks on their face.

"Alright, thank you. Now I know you're thinking that despite the fact I was an Ad Libitum member, I was still not high ranking enough to be important to Ad Libitum. And the truth is, that's right. I'm just an ordinary member of Ad Libitum. However, that's not whole reason the man chose to talk to me. You see, I'm not a normal person. You guys probably won't know what I'm talking about, but...I'm...the Descender of Terresia." Alex explained.

Everyone's faces of shock now turned to faces of confusion. Alex sighed, he was right, no one in the room probably knew what a Descender was.

"A Descender? What's that?" Stahn asked.

Alex cleared his throat. "A Descender is someone who is born from the World Tree. You see, whenever a world is in danger, that world's World Tree creates a being known as a Descender. A Descender is born to protect the world from that danger, and whenever the danger is over, the Descender is brought back to the World Tree, and dissapears back into it. That's why I've be gone the last two months. Oh, and do you guys remember Mormo and Kanonno? They too, were Descenders of their own worlds, which were lost to Gilgulim. So that's it...I'm not even a human being...just a defense mechanism created by the World Tree."

Everyone now had surprised looks on their faces again, with the exception of Kratos, who was as emotionless as always.

"Anyway, that man-he called himself 'Prophet', by the way-knew I was a Descender. He knew a lot about me, apparently. But that's not the point! The point is, Terresia may be on the path of destruction. I don't know about any of you, but I love this world, and I will protect it even if it costs me my life! This is our world! And we're not going to let anyone take it from us! This is where we fight! Who's with me?" Alex exclaimed.

Suddenly, cheers burst out among the table, everyone rallying, until Kratos silenced everyone.

"Enough, everyone. Now, it's time to vote. All in favor of presenting the nations with the plan for an army buildup to defend Terresia, raise their hand." Kratos stated.

Almost instantly, everyone in the room raised their hand.

Kratos nodded. "Alright then, we've decided. We shall tell the nations of our descision, and prepare for battle. This meeting is over." With that, Kratos headed to the exit, and left through the door. What happened next surprised Alex greatly.

Almost everyone in the room ran over to him, though some of them walked. Alex noticed Leon, Raine, and Harold were still in their seats. Alex knew that Leon wasn't exactly a person who would greet him, but suddenly got nervous when both Raine and Harold had a gleam in their eye.

_Great...now that they know I'm a Descender, they'll probably want to use me as a guinuea pig..._

Suddenly, everyone else reached Alex, with smiles on their faces, and began to talk rapidly to Alex.

"Hey Alex, how have you been?"

"Welcome back!"

"We missed you!"

"We thought you were dead! Don't go dying on us!"

"Are you ok?"

Alex was stunned at all of these greetings and genuinely concerned questions for him. Alex then smiled as he realized something.

_They...they truly do care for me. They were all worried about me, thinking I was dead. They...they don't care that I'm a Descender...they just like me for who I am._

As Alex smiled back, he quickly wiped his eyes in order to conceal tears of joy, happy that he did in fact have people who cared about him...

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Alright, how was it this time? Please R&R!

**Now it's time for the vote update! The votes will close after Chapter 5, so vote now before it's too late! One more note to reviewers: STOP VOTING FOR CHARACTERS THAT ARE IN ToS OR TotA. I'VE ALREADY DECIDED WHO I'M PUTTING IN FOR EACH GAME, AND I'M NOT ACCEPTING OTHER CHARACTERS. Sorry, I just had to get that out. As always, here's the vote update:**

**Tales of Phantasia: Cless, 2 votes, Mint, 1 vote, Suzu, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Destiny: Kongman, 1 vote, Johnny, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Eternia: None yet.**

**Tales of Rebirth: Mao, 1 vote. (Though it's going to be hard to use ToR characters...I'm not very far in the game.)**

**Tales of Legendia: Grune, 3 votes, Chloe, 1 vote, Shirley, 1 vote.**

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 3: Reaquainted

Hi again. Final Poke Mario Fan is back, and he's got a new chapter for you guys! Anyway, let's begin!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 3: Reaquainted

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_Ailily, ordinary house._

Alex was sleeping in a bed, deep in his rest. Currently, however, he was having a strange dream.

_Alex was running through a forest, panting. His hands were firmly grasped onto a file and a green key. He was bleeding heavily on his arm, immense pain coarsing through his entire body. He was sweating profusely, and he could hear fast footsteps approaching him. Running as fast as he could, he finally tripped on a root in the forest. Just as he was about to get up, there was a weapon to his neck. Looking up, he saw a man pointing his weapon, but the sun concealed his face. Around Alex were three swordsman, all wearing silver armor._

_"Well? You had enough?" The man asked, sword closing in._

_Alex gritted his teeth. "You bastard...how could you...we all trusted you...and then you betray us, and...and you killed our unit! How could..."_

_The man just simply shrugged. "Your point? You should know not to trust anyone fully, no matter how close they are to you."_

_Suddenly, another figure walked into the area, but he too was concealed by the sun. "Do it."_

_The man with the weapon raised it, aimed straight at Alex's throat. Alex then shut his eyes, preparing for the end. Just as the man was bringing his weapon down, suddenly there was a white flash, and when Alex opened his eyes, the man was frozen in time, as was everyone else._

_"Huh? What's going on?" Alex wondered._

_Just then, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw none other than Prophet standing there, arms crossed. Alex then gasped,_

_"Prophet? Am I...is this really a dream?" Alex asked._

_Prophet beckoned him. "Come with us. There is something we need to discuss." He began walking down through the woods, with Alex following him. When Prophet stopped, the two were standing by a pond, with crystal clear water._

_"Prophet, is this a dream or not? Tell me that." Alex asked, too confused to ask him something else._

_"This is both a dream and both reality. This is a glance into your future. We can comminicate with you longer while you're in a dream, so we made sure to create this dream for you so that we could talk with you." Prophet replied._

_"So now you can control my dreams? That's a bit...hey, wait a minute...a glimpse into my future? Does that mean..." Alex started._

_Prophet nodded. "Yes. This is not the definite future, but only one possibility. But you're thinking right. One of your friends will betray you and slaughter you and your friends. If this happens, then Terresia is doomed to die."_

_Alex was shocked by the news. "W...what? One...one of my friends...will betray me?"_

_"That is correct. You already know him. At the right time, he will betray you and your friends, and kill you. However, remember that this is only one possibility." Prophet replied._

_"...So basically, no matter what I do, Terresia is going to die. If that's the case, I might as well die now." Alex stated, looking downcast._

_Prophet shook his head. "Wrong. There is something you can do. You must stop this man from performing this act of treason and prevent the betrayal."_

_"How am I supposed to convince this traitor to change his mind? It's not easy, telling someone who's planning to betray you to not betray you." Alex replied._

_"That's not true. You have something that can change his mind. In fact, you hold it in your hand now." Prophet explained._

_Alex looked at his right hand, where he held the file. "A file? What will that do?"_

_"In this future, you chose to keep this file a secret from your friends. However, listen to me: you do not know what the file is, but when you find it, you'll have a strong urge to hide what's in it. However, you _must_ tell people about the information in the file, and show the file to the traitor. If you do, you can change his mind." Prophet explained, beginning to fade away._

_"Wait! Who's the traitor?" Alex exclaimed, shouting at the top of his lungs._

_"The file will tell you the answer. Remember these words, and whatever you do, don't forget them! The world depends on it! Good luck!" Prophet replied, and he dissapeared. As Alex called out for Prophet, the dream faded away._

Alex opened his eyes in the house. He had a troubled look on his face and he yawned. Rubbing his eyes, he started walking around the house. His friends decided he needed a temporary house, so when they returned to Ailily, they had chipped in to get a house for Alex to rent. As Alex was getting breakfast, he was thinking about the dream.

_One of my friends will...betray us? But who? Who would betray me? I mean, yesterday, nearly all of them were happy to see me. Is one of them...is one of them playing an act on us in order to lead us into trusting him? And...and _why_ would they betray us? There must be a reason. I have to find the file as soon as possible, and when I do, I must reveal it's contents to my friends and the traitor!_

Alex then sighed. _Well, nothing I can do about it now. I'll just have to act when the time comes._

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_Ailily, Guild._

Alex was walking through Ailily, seeing everything that he hadn't in the last two months. He had stepped into the item store, buying some gels and some Life and Panacea Bottles, figuring he was going to need them against this evil force approaching Terresia. As he passed the guild, he suddenly remembered something, and went inside. As usual, Kratos was standing in his spot near the desk, arms folded. Alex walked over to him.

"...Is there something you want?" Kratos asked.

"Actually, yes, there is. Now that my identity's been revealed, I no longer have any reason not to have the Radiant equipment. So will you give me it back now?" Alex replied.

Kratos nodded. "Very well. I'll go get it. Wait here." With that, Kratos walked into another room on the right side of the Guild. About a minute later, he returned with a gigantic box.

"They're all in here. And by the way, we sent our response to Ailily, Doplund, and Gavada, and they have agreed to build up and unite their armies." Kratos stated.

"Good. That way, we'll be prepared for whatever comes at us." Alex replied, opening the box. Inside was all of his Radiant, or Fencer, equipment. He then went into the room he and Kratos had talked in two days ago, took off his current armor, and placed on the Radiant equipment. When he finished placing on his helm, he smirked to himself.

_Heh...look out, world...Alex is back in his prime!_

Alex then exited the room, heading back into the Guild. He quickly thanked Kratos, and left the Guild, headed towards the plaza.

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_Ailily, Plaza._

Alex now walked through the plaza, observing the people walking around. He decided to take a rest, and sat down in one of the benches. Sighing, he leaned back, looking up at the sky.

_Man...so much has already happened in the last three days. I wish I could just live a life like this, living peacefully in Ailily. But, it is unfortunately a wish I'll have to give up on...I mean, if it weren't for the impending danger approaching us, I would have a good life. I'm happy, have a home, even if it is only temporary, have many friends who care about me, have enough Gald to last me a few years, and live in a peaceful town. Wait a minute...I'm a Descender. How can..._

"Hey!" A familiar voice called out.

Alex turned to his left, and saw Lloyd, Genis, and the blonde-haired girl. Alex smiled, and wondered "_why is it Lloyd who I always see?_"

"Hey, Lloyd and Genis. How are you doing?" Alex asked.

Lloyd smiled. "Well, not much, really. I've just been sitting around the last two months."

"In other words, Lloyd's been slacking off." Genis bluntly added, sighing.

"Shut up, Genis!" Lloyd replied, an upset look on his face.

Alex looked at the blonde-haired girl. "By the way, who are you? I haven't seen you before."

"Oh, my name's Colette. Nice to meet you!" The girl, Colette, replied in a happy voice.

Alex shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Colette's only recently joined Ad Libitum. She wasn't doing anything much two months ago, so that's why you haven't seen her before." Lloyd stated.

Genis sighed. "Yeah, but buisiness has been really slow in Ad Libitum lately. Without major threats to Terresia, there hasn't been as many people in need of help lately."

"But that's a good thing. With less people coming to Ad Libitum for help is a sign that peace exists here. That proves that Ad Libitum has done a good job." Alex replied.

"Yeah, I guess your right." Genis answered.

Suddenly, Lloyd looked closer at Alex, and got an idea in his head. "Hey Alex, I want to ask a favor from you."

"Hmm? What is it?" Alex asked.

"Well, umm...will you spar with me? I haven't had a good fight for the last two months and I was wondering if you'd let me fight you. I've learned all sorts of new tricks, so I bet I could beat you this time." Lloyd requested.

Alex thought for a second, then a smirk appeared on his face. "It's on. We'll do it right here, right now."

Lloyd grinned. "Good." The two then walked on the opposite ends of the plaza. A crowd suddenly started forming around them, interested in what was going on. Both of them drew their swords, smirks still on their faces.

"You ready?" Lloyd asked.

Alex still smirked widely. "Always."

With that, the two ran at each other. Alex tried to perfrom a Demonic Chaos on Lloyd, but Lloyd merely jumped in the air, and then performed a Rising Falcon. Alex rose his shield to guard the attack, and it absorbed most of the damage as Lloyd crashed down on it. Seeing his chance, Alex quickly performed another Demonic Chaos on Lloyd, causing him to be stunned, and Alex immediately followed up with a Raining Tiger Blade. Lloyd then instantly counterattacked with a Sword Rain: Alpha followed by a Beast Sword Rain, causing Alex to get knocked to the ground.

As Lloyd ran over to him, Alex jumped up and slashed at Lloyd, who backstepped the attack, avoiding it completely. Suddenly, both of them jumped into the air and both used Rising Falcon at the same time, causing the to collide with the other and fall backwards through the air, but both of them flipped in midair, regaining balance. They then kept slashing at each other, their swords colliding. However, when Alex blocked Lloyd's Vorpal Sword, Lloyd quickly slashed Alex with his Flamberge, injuring Alex.

Alex then jumped into the water, and then quickly performed Tempest in order to get close to Lloyd. When he was in midair, he quickly used another Rising Falcon, catching Lloyd off guard. Lloyd, however, quickly guarded the attack, and blocked it off. When he landed, Alex then quickly used a Demonic Thrust, breaking Lloyd's defense and injuring him. Lloyd then retaliated with a Beast, knocking Alex on the ground again. Alex quickly got up, and then got an idea. He then jumped up and performed a Rising Falcon again.

This time, Lloyd used Omega Tempest, the first part of it causing Lloyd to go under Alex, and then he rose into the air. Alex then grabbed one of Lloyd's swords, and threw it to the ground, causing Lloyd to crash into the ground at full force. As Lloyd was momentarily stunned, Alex then performed a Demonic Chaos on him, injuring Lloyd. Lloyd then got up and jumped back, and he used a Demonic Tiger Blade on Alex, causing Alex to flinch, and then Lloyd used another Sword Rain: Alpha.

Alex then used a Victory Light Spear on Lloyd, knocking him up in the air as Alex descended. Alex then instantly performed a Demon Spiral Hammer, knocking Lloyd back. Alex then ran up and performed a Tiger Rage, hitting Lloyd up and down, causing Lloyd to crash into the floor. He tried to get up, but was too weak.

"O...Ok Alex...you...you win..." Lloyd muttered out, lying down on the floor.

Alex then quickly ran over to Lloyd while the crowd cheered. Alex then quickly pulled out a Lemon Gel, and placed it in Lloyd's mouth. Lloyd swallowed it, and seconds later, he got up off the ground. Alex then took out another Lemon Gel, and gave it to himself, eating it.

"Are you ok? I think I went a bit too rough on you at the end." Alex asked, concerned.

"...I'm fine now. Don't worry about it. But still, you really have gotten good! I could barely keep up with you!" Lloyd replied.

Alex smiled. "Hey, you did pretty good yourself. You've improved since we last fought, and you're on the way to becoming a good swordsman."

Lloyd smiled back. "Thanks. But we're not through yet! Someday, I'll be as good as you, and I'll be able to defeat you!"

"Then let's make a promise. One day, when both us are stronger, let's face each other again." Alex offered.

Lloyd smirked. "It's a promise!"

Alex then shook Lloyd's hand, and began to walk towards a path exiting the plaza. "Well, I'll see you three later! Bye!"

"Bye!" All three replied, and Alex walked away, smiling, unaware he was being watched from far away...

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_Unknown Location._

_The four mysterious people were sitting around a circular wooden table in a dark stone room, a few candles lighting up the room. Darius had his hand extended, and a sphere was emitting from from his hand. On this sphere was the image of Alex walking down the roads of Ailily. Darius then put his hand away, and the sphere dissapeared. The brown haired man crossed his arms, and sighed._

_"So...the Terresian Descender has returned...this is something we did not expect." The leader stated, not looking happy._

_"Yes. This will indeed complicate things indeed. If he has already revealed himself to his people, then they know that we are coming to attack them." Darius added._

_The green haired man just smirked. "Heh...what does it matter? It's just one person! One person cannot stop anything about the invasion!"_

_"Do not underestimate that Descender. Not only are all Descender's born with a powerful pontential for battle, but they are also intelligent. They would know immediately if their world was in trouble, and could spread the word." Belladonna retorted._

_"Hmph. I still don't believe that he could do anything dangerous. All he did was defeat Widdershin, who pales in comparison to us." The green haired man replied._

_"I agree with Belladonna here. The Terresian Descender is too dangerous to be ignored. He is a threat, and must be eliminated, as he is an obstacle to our plans." Darius replied._

_"His fighting skills are indeed impressive. However, we need to analyze the full strength of him before we actually can perform any action towards him. Therefore, we will need to test his skills in combat with one of us first before we can deem whether he's a threat or not." The leader stated._

_Belladonna looked at him. "If I may, I would like to fight him. His skills impress me, and I want to see which one of us is the better fighter. Plus, we both use swords. It'll be a perfect match for me."_

_"I have no objections to that. I do not wish to fight him unless I see what he can do against a powerful opponent." Darius replied._

_The green haired man sighed. "Do whatever the hell you want. Like I said before, the Terresian Descender doesn't concern me."_

_"Very well. Belladonna, when we arrive in Terresia at the end of the week, I give you permission to engage the Terresian Descender in combat. You may use whatever is neccessary, just don't kill him yet." The leader stated._

_Belladonna bowed. "Thank you for accepting my request, sir."_

_"Alright then, let's get back to discussing the invasion preparations. General Darius, how many soldiers in total are going to be used for the invasion?" The leader asked._

_"About 5000, sir. That should be enough to give us a foothold in Ailily. You can only open up a portal once every eight hours, so 5000 will be enough." Darius replied._

_"Very good. General Tribilin, how are the weapons and armor?" The leader asked the green haired man._

_The green haired man, Tribilin, smirked. "They're all ready for combat use, sir."_

_"General Belladonna? How is the strategy for the invasion looking like?" The leader questioned._

_"I took a look over it. It'll be adequate enough to use." Belladonna replied._

_"All right then. Let's continue organizing the army and preparing for the invasion. You're all dismissed." The leader explained. The three of them nodded, and left the room..._

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_Six days later, Ailily._

Alex was standing at the town entrance, looking out at the fields. For the past week, he had been training along with his friends for the upcoming evil. He had no clue what it was yet, but he was prepared. The military, known as the United Forces of Terresia, were posted in Ailily. Majority of the army was in Ailily, as Ad Libitum and the three nations thought that if any place was going to be attacked, it would be Ailily.

Alex then sighed, and turned around, deciding to head home. Prophet had not contacted him ever since his dream six nights ago, so he had no further clues on the approaching evil or the traitor. He had spent most of his time that week either training or hanging out with his friends, but he was still prepared.

Suddenly, Alex heard something _whoosh_ through the sky, and suddenly, a large crash was heard and felt, it's power as strong as an earthquake. Alex, alarmed, ran past the entrance and looked out of town. He could now see something sitting near the World Tree that hadn't been there before. When he looked at the object more closely, his jaw dropped and his eyes were wide.

"No...no way...it's...it's impossible." Alex muttered as he looked at the object ahead of him, eyes focused on it.

Gilgulim...

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**How was it? Sorry if the ending was rushed, but it's late! Please review, you guys barely gave me any last chapter! And now for the vote update:**

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Tales of Eternia: Farah, 1 vote.**

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**Please vote before it's too late!**


	5. Chapter 4: War of the Worlds

Hey! It's me, Final Poke Mario Fan, ready with the next chapter! I know last chapter was a dissapointing filler, but I hope you'll like this chapter! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's, I own nothing.

Chapter 4: War of the Worlds

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_Ailily._

Alex stood there in total shock upon the sight of Gilguilim. Deeply shocked and confused, many questions ran through him.

_How...how the hell is Gilgulim here? I...I destroyed it! I remember doing so! There's no...no way...no way it could be here. Impossible..._

"Alex? What's wro..." A voice called out, who turned out to be Chester. As he approached Alex, he too saw Gilgulim and stared at it in shock.

"Chester...I need you to get Kratos. Tell him what's happened, and tell him we need backup." Alex asked, looking at Chester.

"Y...yes!" Chester replied. He quickly turned around and started running for the Guild. Alex then stood there motionless, still in shock, when suddenly, a familiar flash of light occured. When Alex opened his eyes, time was frozen.

"Prophet? Is that you?" Alex asked loudly, looking around him.

Suddenly, Prophet materialized in front of Alex. "Yes, it's us." Prophet then walked over to Alex, looking at Gilgulim in the distance. Alex looked up to him.

"Prophet...tell me...what does this...what does this all mean?! I destroyed Gilgulim...I remember it clearly! If I destroyed it, then why the hell is it still here? Was...was all that work I did for nothing?! Prophet! Answer me!" Alex exclaimed, going a little hysterical.

"Calm down, Alex. You're guess is as good as ours, as we don't know how Gilgulim survived either. But, take another look at it closely. Feel it's mana with your body, and you'll see that your efforts were not for nothing. If we recall correctly, all Descenders can feel the mana from _anything_ near their own World Tree." Prophet replied, crossing his arms.

Alex then took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He then felt the mana in his body flowing, and in turn, the World Tree's. Feeling around the World Tree, he then searched the area. A few seconds later, he could feel the mana running through Gilgulim rushing through himself, and quickly checked around. While Gilgulim's mana was stronger than a normal person's, it still wasn't as powerful as Terresia's. Deciding to go in as deep as he could, he then checked the mana of the core of Gilgulim. He felt the core was very weak, and would be able to be repaired. As he looked at the core one more time, he noticed something, and gasped.

Alex then opened his eyes, and fell to the ground, weary from checking out Gilgulim's mana. He then looked up to Prophet.

"Prophet...what I felt...this is..." Alex stuttered, shocked again.

Prophet nodded. "Yes, Alex. While you did not destroy Gilgulim completely, you did damage it's core beyond repair. Because of this, you have rendered it inable to absorb the mana of any more worlds. Therefore, you don't have to worry about it trying to eat up Terresia."

Alex still looked troubled. "But...but that still doesn't make any sense! Why would Gilgulim bother even returning to Terresia if it can't absorb anymore mana? There's just no sense in this!"

"Unfortunately, we can't tell you that. But we can tell you this: you're going to need more than just a little backup in a few minutes. No, things will get much worse if you don't." Prophet stated.

"What...what do you mean?" Alex asked, looking confused.

Just then, Prophet began to flicker again. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to explain. All we can say is that you'll need that army, and fast! Tell the commander the number of the enemy is five thousand! Good luck!" And with that, Prophet dissapeared, leaving Alex alone again, and time flowed back normally. Alex just sat there on the ground, thinking.

_Damn it, Prophet...why don't you just ever tell me the full story? What good does it do if you leave me these cryptic messages and not even bother to explain what they mean?If you just said these things plainly, things would be a a lot easier! I would have known that it was Gilgulim coming! What good is it if..._

"I believe you called for me." A familiar voice called out. Alex turned around to see Kratos, then Alex turned to a soldier.

"Soldier! Get your commander! Tell him we'll need the whole army down here and fast!" Alex yelled.

"Wha...Y...yes!" The soldier replied. He quickly went running through the town, headed to the military station near town.

Kratos then turned to Alex. "Why did you call for me, Alex? Is it urgent?"

"Oh, right! Kratos! We've got a major situation here! Look near the World Tree, and you'll see." Alex replied, looking at Gilgulim.

Kratos turned towards the World Tree, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. "That's...Gilgulim..."

Alex nodded. "Right. I...I thought I destroyed it two months ago, but apparently, it survived. However, after taking a look at its mana, it seems that I damage its core to the point where it can't even drain the mana of worlds anymore. Therefore, we don't have to worry about it trying to eat Terresia again."

"I see. However, if that's indeed the case, then why has Gilgulim returned?" Kratos asked.

Alex shook his head. "I don't know. However, if it has indeed returned, then there must be _some_ reason. I mean, what's the point of bringing a world that can't eat mana anymore here? There must be a reason, and we have to find out what it is."

Just then, Alex heard many footsteps, and turned around. Behind him were Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Raine, Reid, Chester, and Arche, running towards them. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath, then turned towards the two.

"Alex! We heard what happened. Is it...is it true that Gilgulim has returned?" Genis asked.

Alex beckoned towards the World Tree. "See for yourself."

The seven looked out towards the World Tree, and they all gasped in shock upon the sight of Gilgulim.

"Th...that's..." Genis stuttered.

"Gil...Gilgulim! But...but how?" Raine asked, confused.

Alex then sighed, getting ready to explain again...

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_Top of Gilgulim, outside of the World Tree._

The brown-haired man, Darius, Tribilin, and Belladonna were standing on top of Gilgulim again. The steering wheel and chair had dissapeared, and a circular blue light lay behind the four. The looked at the World Tree and at Ailily, smirks on their faces.

"Hmm...so this is Terresia, huh? It's...greener than I expected." Belladonna remarked, glancing at the roots of the World Tree.

Tribilin only smirked further at this. "Heh heh heh heh...well, that's one thing we'll have to change a little, isn't it?"

"We're not here to destroy Terresia, you know. You can forget about doing anything like that to this world. If you do, then you'll ruin our whole plan." Darius retorted, his arms crossed as always.

"Hmph! Don't tell me what to do, Darius! No one ever said that I couldn't have a little fun now and then to..." Tribilin started, a sneer on his face.

"I did. Tribilin, Darius is right. You can't mess around with anything in this world that's natural. If you do, I can kill you at any time." The leader replied simply.

Tribilin's sneer dissapeared and his face was contorted with anger. "Rrgh! I _never_ get to have fun anymore! Ever since this plan started, the only time I've ever gotten any real fun was that time one month ago, and that was only one!"

Belladonna sighed. "What do you mean? Didn't you claim after you finished it that it was '_the most satisfying thing I've ever done_'? You disguest me with your methods sometimes."

"All right, both of you drop it! If you're going to discuss this, then discuss it _after_ we've performed the invasion! Now, let's get to buisiness. General Darius, is everything ready from your unit?" The leader stated.

"Yes, sir. They're ready for deployment at any time." Darius replied.

The leader nodded. "Very good. General Tribilin, are your troops ready for deployment?"

Tribilin's look of fury was replaced with a bloodthirsty look on his face. "Heh heh heh...ready as they'll always be...ready as they'll always be..."

"Alright then. General Belladonna, are all your soldiers ready?" The leader asked one last time.

Belladonna nodded. "Yes they are, sir. Everything is set."

The leader nodded. "Very well then, we're all set. Let the invasion begin!"

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_Ailily, Entrance._

Alex and the rest of his friends in town were still standing out in front of town, staring at Gilgulim, the tall blue spires looming over the World Tree, creating an ominus feeling over the normally tranquil landscape. Suddenly, the sound of many footsteps were heard behind them. They looked around, and saw many soldiers running through the town towards them. They all wore dark black armor and had a variety of weapons: some had swords, others had bows, and more had staffs

A man in blue armor approached them. "I am General Negius. Apparently, one of you called me and the entire army down here. May I ask who it was?"

Alex stepped forward. "I did, General. I called you out because of _that_." Alex then pointed out towards Gilgulim.

Negius then looked out towards Gilgulim, and his eyes widened. "That thing...that was the thing that tried to destroy this world two months ago!"

"You've been well informed, General. Then again, it might be common knowledge. Anyway, I called you here because...well, I..." Alex started, trying to think of an excuse, as Prophet had not explained everything.

Suddenly, Gilgulim started glowing, and a blinding blue light emerged from it, covering all of Terresia. From space, all of Terresia was covered in blue light, brighter than the star the planet revolved around. A few seconds later, the light faded, and everything came into view again.

"What...what just happened?" Lloyd questioned loudly, evryone looking around.

Suddenly, in Alex's mind, he heard a familiar voice. _Connection...world..._

Alex recognized this voice immediately. _Prophet! Where are you? Are you communicating to me in my head now?_

There was no reply in Alex's mind, or anywhere for that matter. Looking around, Alex saw no one.

Kratos suddenly perked his head. "I hear something. It...it sounds like a lot of people moving."

"I...I hear it too!" Colette added, looking surprised.

"Are you sure? I hear nothing." Arche replied.

Kratos suddenly turned towards Arche. "Arche...go on your broom and scout ahead for us near Gilgulim. If you see anyone, return here immediately. Is that understood?"

"Alright! You can count on me!" Arche replied, smiling. Turning towards Gilgulim and the sky, she flew her broom up towards the sky. She looked ahead, stared for a few seconds, and suddenly came flying back down fast, a panicked look on her face.

"There's...there's...there's thousands of soldiers headed this way!" Arche exclaimed.

Everyone outside gasped, a shocked look on everyone's face. Considering there were over a thousand people, their gasps seemed to suck the entire air out of Terresia.

"Wha...WHAT?!" Everyone except Kratos shouted, their faces filled with horror.

Arche lowered her head. "It's true. They're coming from Gilgulim and approaching Ailily."

"So...so they're from Gilgulim?" Genis asked.

"Well, they don't look like they're from _anywhere_ in paticular. With such great numbers that they have, we're screwed. We can't do anything about it."

Everyone lowered their heads at this grim statement, eyes closed. Alex kept his eyes open.

_No...no! This isn't right! There must be something we can do! There must!_ Suddenly, Prophet's words rang out through Alex's head.

_You'll need that army, and fast! And tell the commander that the number of the enemy is five thousand!_

At these words, Alex raised his head. He then shook it.

"Arche, you're wrong! There is something we can do!" Alex exlaimed at the top of his lungs. Everyone opened their eyes, and looked at him strangely.

"What...what is it?" Lloyd asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We fight." Alex stated, walking forward, looking directly at Gilgulim.

"..." Everyone was silent, looking at Alex strangely. Finally, Kratos stepped forward.

"Alex, I know you don't want anything to happen to Terresia. All of us wish we could do something. But it can't be helped. We don't even know how many soldiers they have in that army..." Kratos started.

Alex shook his head again. "Wrong, Kratos. I know how many soldiers there are: five thousand." After he said this, people's faces looked confused now, somewhat surprised.

"Five...five thousand? How do you that it's five thousand?" General Negius asked.

"I can't say how I know. But I know it's right. So General, tell me: how many soldiers do we have stationed here?" Alex asked.

"Let's see...about four thousand." General Negius replied.

Kratos then looked up. "Hmm...even if we're outnumbered by one thousand, we may actually have a chance at winning this fight."

Negius looked right at him. "...Yes. You're right! If we act quickly and prepare accordingly, we can win! Do any of you have any military experience?"

Everyone remained silent, but Kratos continued to stare at Negius, and spoke up. "I do."

Lloyd looked surprised. "Kratos! You do? You've actually fought in a war before?"

"...Lloyd. Have you forgotten? I'm a mercenary. I have in fact fought in a war before while I was a mercenary." Kratos replied.

"Well, that's good! Do you have any suggestions on what we should do to prepare for battle?" General Negius asked.

Kratos thought for a second. "...I do. First, I would suggest sending an evacuation signal to all the residents, just in case the fighting gets to the streets. Next, I would set up your soldiers. Have the archers get as high as they can, but to still be close to the gates of the town. Have you mages also stand in similar places so they can cast. Then, send your warriors to the gates near the roots. How does that sound?"

"Hmm...actually, that's not a bad strategy. I think we should use it. Any objections?" General Negius asked. No one replied.

"Alright then, let's go! The invaders will probably be here in about half an hour, judging from the distance from the Base of the World Tree. Soldiers! I want Unit Three to help evacuate the civilians! Unit Two, get your bows and get into arching position! Unit Four, stay near Unit Two and get ready! Unit One, stand by the gates! Go!" Negius ordered. Seconds later, the soldiers saluted, and began running around to different places, performing their own tasks.

Kratos approached Arche. "Arche, forgive me, but there's something else I need of you."

"What is it?" Arche asked.

"I need you to fly to Doplund and Gavada, tell them of the invasion, and ask them to bring their forces over here. Even though Gavada's won't get here in time, Doplund's forces may be able to help us fight back. Can you do it?" Kratos replied.

"Alright! I'll be back before you know it!" Arche replied. She then pointed her broom towards the east, and flew off, headed towards Doplund. Kratos then turned to the rest of the group.

"All of you, go and assist the army! Chester, go with the archers. Genis, you stay with the mages. Raine, offer your services as a healer. The rest of us will fight on the front lines. Is that clear?" Kratos ordered.

"Y...Yes!" All of them replied. They, like the army, scattered into various places, weapons at hand. Finally, the only ones standing at the front were Alex, Kratos, Lloyd, Reid, and Colette.

"Who knew it'd come down to this?" Reid stated, shaking his head.

"It can't be helped. We need to protect this town at all costs." Kratos merely replied.

Colette sadly sighed. "I just wish there was some way we didn't have to fight."

Alex looked over at her. "No one ever wants to fight. But they do it anyway. Why? We may never know. But I do know this: we're fighting right now for the sake of Terresia. If we don't fight, first Ailily will go down, then Doplund, then Gavada, and finally all of Terresia. We can't let that happen!"

Lloyd pumped his fist. "Right! We'll fight to the very end to protect this world! So let's do it!"

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_Twenty-five minutes later..._

The entire army now stood around Ailily, in position for battle. Alex, Lloyd, Reid, Colette and Kratos were standing in the front lines along with about two thousand soldiers. On nearby rooftops were Chester and about one thousand archers. On lower ground were Genis and a thousand mages. Raine stood in the back, ready to heal. There was intense silence among the town, everyone else having been evacuated.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard, and everyone turned their attention to the World Tree. Rounding the roots of the World Tree were about five thousand soldiers, equpped with different types of weapons. They wore standard brown armor, with blue gauntlets and boots. They looked at Ailily, and shocked looks appeared on their faces when they saw all the soldiers waiting for them on the top of the root. After noticing this, one of the soldiers took out a device and pressed something.

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_Back at Gilgulim..._

The leader, Darius, Tribilin, and Belladonna were standing on the platform, waiting for results of the battle. Suddenly, the leader felt a buzzing in his pocket. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small circular device. Pressing a blue button in the center of it, a hologram of one of the soldiers appeared to him.

"What is it, Captain Vergom? How goes the invasion?" The leader asked.

A panicked look was on Vergom's face. "That's the problem, sir! At the entrance of the town...thousands of soldiers!"

The leader's face turned instantly into shock. "W...WHAT!? That's...that's impossible! There's no way that they could have known about the invasion in advance! You're just going to have to kill all of them first! Understood!?"

"Y...Yes sir!" Vergom replied, and the message ended.

Tribilin smashed his fist into his own hand. "Damn it! That Terresian Descender bastard must have figured out our invasion plans and told everyone! That son of a..."

"Impossible...simply impossible...why...why did things turn our like this?" The leader muttered, eyes still in shock.

"This is indeed an unfortunate mishap." Darius simply replied, arms crossed as always.

"This Terresian Descender...he is even smarter than I took him for...very interesting...he will prove to be a very interesting opponent." Belladonna stated.

Tribilin then suddenly heard Belladonna, and a smirk appeared on his face. "Yes...if I remember correctly, we do have something to psyche him up...that Terresian Descender will be so shocked when we spill out that little piece of information...heh heh heh..."

"He'll try to kill you for it, you know." Darius replied.

"Heh...it's easy to fight someone who's blinded like that. I can take it." Tribilin retorted, still smirking.

"Hmm...actually, we could work that to our advantage. If by some chance their army wins, they'll definately come here. And then...that'll work. We'll just have to see the results of the battle first." The leader answered.

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_Back at the battlefield..._

The army was now in battle positions, their swords drawn, bows ready. The enemy army, though surprised, were still running towards the town, shields up. The army still waited for the enemy. Finally, when the army reached the base of the root, Negius shouted out.

"Fire!"

As soon as he said that, the archers immediately released their arrows. While most of them were bounced away by the shields, some of them actually hit their targets, killing or wounding them. Seconds later, a volley of various spells attacked the enemy, causing them to fall down or die. As the enemy kept on approaching, the archers and mages continued to cast their spells, trying to kill the attackers. Soon, the enemy reached the top of the root.

"Get ready for close combat!" Negius yelled.

Alex then grasped his sword, and immediately launched a Demonic Chaos at a soldier, killing them. He then ran forward and started hacking away at his enemies, arrows flying all around him. He quickly, blocked two soldier's swords and used a Victory Light Spear to send them in the air and kill them, and then quickly used a Rising Falcon in order to wipe out a few more soldiers. While descending, he noticed Kratos chopping at the enemy, Lloyd using his skills to launch various combos

at the soldiers, and Colette was throwing her chakrams at various enemies.

Alex then landed on the ground, and followed up instantly with a Rending Tiger Blade, killing several more soldiers in his path. He could feel various spells blasting everywhere, and put up his shield. Alex then used a Raining Tiger Blade, followed up by an Omega Tempest. He gritted his teeth, realizing this was only the beginning of the battle...

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_Three and a half hours later..._

Alex panted heavily, sweat dripping down his forehead, now standing in the Plaza. He looked around him, various wounds on his body. For thousands of feet, all he could see were dead bodies of soldiers, either from Terresia's army or the enemies. The fighting had eventually broken out into the streets, causing the Terresian soldiers to use different tactics. Over in the Plaza, he could see Kratos, Lloyd, Colette, Reid, Genis, Raine, Chester and Arche, who had returned in the middle of the battle after having successfully contacting both Doplund and Gavada, who's armies were currently headed to Ailily. Many wounded soldiers were being carried around, various Priests trying to heal them.

Alex walked over to a corner in the Plaza, standing over the enemy's commander. After he had been killed, the survivors of the enemy had retreated, leaving 4,400 dead or wounded in the town. The Terresian soldiers, in comparison, had lost about 2,200 soldiers.

While Alex looked over the dead commander's body, he suddenly noticed a slip of paper in the commander's bag sticking out. Alex then took out the paper, and looked at it. It appeared to be a letter or a set of directions of sort, probably war related. As Alex read over the paper, he read the final line, and gasped, eyes wide, almost dropping the paper.

_No...no way! It can't be! It's...it's just not possible...there's no way could be...I was told that...I'd better show this to the others!_

Alex then grasped the paper and ran over to the center of the Plaza towards his friends, panting. They all noticed him, and looked confused.

"Alex, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Lloyd asked.

Genis sighed. "Um, Lloyd, that's a really cliched line."

Lloyd looked angry at Genis. "Shut up, Genis!" Suddenly, Lloyd got this really strange expression on his face.

"Huh? What is it, Lloyd?" Genis asked.

"Nothing, it's just...I feel like that we've had this conversation before. I just can't remember when." Lloyd replied.

"Lloyd, I think I remember you two having the same conversation once before too!" Colette exclaimed.

Genis was in thought. "Huh. It does seem a bit famililar...whatever. Anyway, what is it, Alex?"

Alex held up the paper. "I found this in the enemy commander's belongings. It has some instructions on what they were supposed to do...but more importantly, it tells where these people are from!"

Everyone gasped at this, eyes wide.

"R...Really? Then where are they from?" Reid asked.

Alex took a deep breath. "Right. You see, these soldiers are not from Terresia. Rather, they are from another world. According to this letter, that world's name is..."

"Pasca..."

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**Hey! How was it! I'm really sorry for the delay, but school's been hard on me. I've also got some bad news. Because of the difficulty my school life is presenting me with now, updates will be slow. However, I will still continue, no matter how hard it gets! Review Please! Anyway, here's the poll updates:**

**Tales of Phantasia: Cless, 2 votes, Mint, 1 vote, Klarth, 1 vote, Suzu, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Destiny: Kongman, 1 vote, Johnny, 1 vote, Chelsea, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Eternia: Farah, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Rebirth: Veigue, 1 vote, Mao, 1 vote.**

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**Vote now!**


	6. Chapter 5: Tragic Revelations

Hi again! I'm Final Poke Mario Fan, bringing you the latest chapter of the story! Hope you all like it!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my six OC's, I own none of the characters in the story

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 5: Tragic Revelations

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_Alex took a deep breath. "Right. You see, these soldiers are not from Terresia. Rather, they are from another world. According to this letter, that world's name is..."_

_"Pasca..."_

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As Alex finished saying this, his friends looked at him in confusion, unsure of what he was exactly talking about.

"Pasca? What's that?" Chester asked, confused.

Alex cleared his throat. "You remember when I said that Kannono was a Descender, right? She was the Descender of Pasca. Apparently, the humans there fought each other for a long time. Kannono, disgusted at this, killed all of the humans in the world. However, this caused the World Tree of Pasca to die. Then Widdershin appeared. He offered to revive Pasca if Kannono would help him absorb worlds into Gilgulim, and Kannono agreed, Pasca being absorbed into Gilgulim."

When Alex finished this, everyone gasped, looking more surprised now. After a few seconds, Reid was the first to speak.

"W...wait a minute! Then...then how is it that these people can be from another world? If...if what you said was right, then Pasca was destroyed a long time ago, and as far as we know, all the other worlds were destroyed. And it's not like they reappeared when you defeated that Widdershin guy. So...how's it possible?"

Alex thought over for a minute, trying to rethink the situation. "I don't know. But the last line of this letter says that '_When the invasion's been completed, send word back to us in Pasca_'. I don't know why these people are here at the moment, but I think that it my be possible that they are indeed from Pasca. After all, if Widdershin, Kannono, and Aurora managed to come here through Gilgulim, then I guess it's possible for people from Pasca to come here, right?"

"...Wait a minute. You said that Kannono killed everyone in Pasca, right? Then how could there be people from Pasca here if that world is indeed dead?" Raine asked.

"Hmm...good point. I guess there's only one way to find out." Alex answered.

"Huh? What's that?" Lloyd asked.

Alex looked into the distance. "First, let's wait for the armies of Doplund and Gavada to get here. When they arrive, we'll get set up, and go inside Gilgulim. I have a feeling all the answers lie in there."

Genis looked surprised. "In...into Gilgulim? But...how are we going to pull that off? It looks really dangerous in there! It may be too much for us!"

Alex smirked. "Genis, have you forgotten? I've already been through Gilgulim once when I defeated Widdershin. I know what it's like inside, and trust me, it's nothing we can't handle. Don't worry about it."

"Still..." Genis started.

"Alex has a point. We don't have any other leads on these invaders. If they are indeed from this 'Pasca', our only way of confirming this is going to Gilgulim itself. Alex, I assume you know how to get through it?" Kratos stated.

"Yeah. It's kind of like a maze in there, but I can navigate use through, so don't worry. If anyone is opposed to us going through Gilgulim, now would be the best time to say it." Alex replied.

Everyone was silent, no one saying a word.

"Alright, then we're agreed. Let's go see General Negius and present him with this plan." Alex stated.

Everyone nodded, and began running off into the direction closest to the general...

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_Top of Gilgulim..._

The leader, Darius, Tribilin, and Belladonna were still standing on top of the platform, overlooking Ailily and the World Tree. They were now having lunch on a table that the leader had conjured up. They sat across from each other, everyone eating something different. The leader ate some cooked fish, Darius ate carrots, corn, and broccili, Tribilin ate a 10oz steak and some pork. Belladonna was eating some rice pilaf and some chicken. Tribilin had now changed his outfit. Instead of a grey cloak, he now wore a a slick black outfit with various shadings of dark blue all around it (A/N: Think Sync's outfit from Tales of the Abyss with blue instead of green on it).

"So, when do you think they'll get here?" Belladonna asked the leader.

The leader thought for minute. "Hmm...well, judging from the results from the battle according to the survivors, they probably wouldn't come here unless they hads some more backup. If the Terresian Descender did indeed know about our plan and informed all of Terresia, the other two cities most likely have built up their forces as well. They probably are waiting for them to arrive in Ailily, then regroup and launch a raid on here."

"Hmm...I would say you're right. It's a smart choice. We can't call for reinforcements for another four and a half hours because of the fact that you can't open up another portal until then. " Darius replied.

"Well, I doubt they know about that part. They haven't seen me yet, so they probably don't know about the portals. The only thing the did see us do was the connection process, which even they don't know about." The leader replied.

"Why the hell does it even matter? When they get here, it'll be simple: we kill them, we attack with full force with our full army, and then we finish the job. It's not a very complicated process." Tribilin retorted.

Darius turned to him. "Tribilin, as we saw today, the situation can change easily. What we thought would be a quick victory was a powerful defeat. We can't just assume things to go that easily for us all the time like it did with the others."

Tribilin shook his head. "Hmph. I just wish I could kill that Terresian Descender now. Not only did he disrupt our plan to invade Terresia, but if I killed him, that'd be even more satisfying than that time last month!"

"...I assume you're going to tell him about that?" Darius asked.

Tribilin smirked. "Heh heh heh heh heh...of course. That'll make it even more fun. I'm even going to go into detail on what happened while telling him. I can't wait to see what happens."

"That may be pushing it a bit _too _far. It's likely that he'll be fighting you with all his power, and you might be killed." Belladonna commented.

Tribilin shook his head. "Belladonna, Belladonna, have you forgotten? When people are like that, they get careless in fighting, leaving many openings and oppurtunities to strike. He'll be easy to defeat!"

"You're _not_ killing him, you know. Just because the plan changed from me fighting him to you fighting him doesn't change the conditions one bit." Belladonna replied.

Tribilin scoffed. "Hmph! You're just jealous because you wanted to fight him and now you're going to have to wait a bit while I fight him!"

"As much as I do want to fight the Terresian Descender, I am patient, unlike you." Belladonna merely retorted, taking a bite from her rice pilaf.

"Grr...Shut up!" Tribilin snapped back.

"Enough. All that matters is that the Terresian Descender gets here along with his friends. Once that happens, we know what to do, so that's all that matters. And Tribilin, I agree with Belladonna here that you still need to be cautious around the Terresian Descender." The leader announced, breaking the two up, a slight smirk on Belladonna's face.

Tribilin grunted and turned away, but then suddenly raised his head as he saw something. "Boss, look over towards the mountains!"

The leader, Darius, and Belladonna looked over towards the mountains. In the distance, towards Doplund, they could see many soldiers marching onwards.

"It looks like Doplund and Gavada's forces have met up and are now headed towards Ailily." Darius stated, looking down at the soldiers.

The leader kept staring at them. "Well, they probably won't even get on to this platform for another four and a half hours. Let's just continue eating, and we'll act when they get here. Understood?"

All his generals nodded.

"Good then. Let's take it easy." The leader replied.

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_Three and a half hours later..._

Alex stood at the entrance of Ailily, looking at Gilgulim. Around him were several soldiers, either standing guard or running around to perform various tasks. As he stood their, he was, like usual, in deep thought.

_I...I still don't get it...why the hell are people from Pasca here? Kannono killed everyone on that world, that much she told me. Raine's right, _how_ can there be people from Pasca here? All the worlds except Terresia have been absorbed into Gilgulim, and that undoubtly killed everyone in those worlds! Damn it, this doesn't make any sense! I...I just want to know why these people were here! _

Suddenly, Alex heard the clanking of metal coming from ahead of him. He looked down the road, and saw a welcoming sight.

In front of him were thousands of soldiers, bearing armor from Doplund and Gavada. Looking at them, Alex guessed there were about 20,000 soldiers. They wore dark blue and green armor, green for Gavada, and blue for Doplund. As he scanned the army, Alex could see Stahn, Rutee, Leon, Garr, Philia, Nanaly, Annie, Eugene, Harold, and Senel marching along with them. Alex then saw one of the Ailily soldiers notice this, and quickly ran off into town to inform General Negius. Alex then quickly walked over to the army.

"You...you fought here today, right? What happened?" One of the soldiers, probably a general, asked.

Alex cleared his throat. "About seven hours ago, an enemy army came here, trying to attack us. We evacuated the civilians and set up our forces, then attacked the army. There were five thousand of them, but using various tactics, we fought them off and sent the survivors into a retreat. They lost about 4,400 soldiers, while we lost about half that."

The general nodded. "I see. Can you take me to the commanding general?"

"A soldier already left to bring him here. We're planning an assault on Gilgulim soon, but we decided to wait for your forces before you came here." Alex explained.

"'Gilgulim'?" The general asked.

Alex pointed to Gilgulim. "That's Gilgulim."

The general looked surprised. "You're...you're going to attack that? How do you plan on pulling that off? It looks nearly impossible to get through that thing!"

Alex shook his head. "Believe me, it's not so bad. I've been in there before, and I know that we won't have much of a problem going in there. You have nothing to worry about."

"Well, that's good to hear. By the way, I'm General Zalgan of Doplund." The general replied, extending his hand.

"And I'm Alex. A pleasure to meet you, General Zalgan." Alex replied, shaking Zalgan's hand. Just then, they saw General Negius approaching, and Alex walked off, knowing the general's would be discussing a few things. Just as he walked towards the gate, he turned around and saw his friends walking towards him.

"Alex! Are you ok? We heard a battle was going on here! What happened?" Stahn asked.

Alex then sighed. "We were attacked by five thousand enemy soldiers. We quickly evacuated the citizens and set up for battle, and we sent the enemy retreating eventually. They lost 4,400, we lost half that." Everyone looked surprised at Alex once he finished.

"An...enemy army? But how? The nations have been working together, and have shown good unity lately! Who would..." Philia started.

"It wasn't a Terresian army. However, we do have a lead on who did it." Alex explained.

"R...Really? Who's army was it, then?" Senel asked.

"I found a letter on the enemy commander's body. In it was a name of their home. It was a world called Pasca." Alex explained.

"Never heard of it." Eugene replied.

"I have. Pasca is..."

_Alex then explained the story of Pasca and Kannono._

"...and Pasca was then absorbed into Gilgulim." Alex finished. Like with his friends in Ailily, his other friends had also gasped, looking at Alex in surprise. Suddenly, Harold spoke up.

"Hold on! Kannono killed everyone in Pasca! How, then, are there people from Pasca here?" Annie asked.

Alex shook his head. "That's what I've been trying to figure out all day. Soon, however, we're going to launch an attack on Gilgulim in order to try to find a hint on why people from Pasca were here in the first place."

"Attack Gilgulim? Hmm...I guess it's not impossible...seing how you managed to pull it off. Will you be going soon?" Garr replied.

Alex look a little surprised. "Wow, you're the first not to be surprised by the plan. Anyway, yes, we'll probably be attacking within the hour."

Just then, a soldier approached Alex and his friends. "Excuse me, but your prescence has been requested at the main gate. Will you come with me?"

Alex nodded, and the guard started walking towards the gate, Alex and his friends following him. As they went to the gate, they saw the rest of Alex's friends standing there. Kratos stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes focused on Kratos.

"Good, you're here. Alright, here's the plan. The generals of Doplund and Gavada quickly accepted the Gilgulim attack raid plan. In about five minutes, we're about to march off towards Gilgulim. Once we get their, we'll have the main force wait outside while a small party composed of Ad Libitum members will go in first for reconnaisence. We need you to get ready for that. Understood?" Kratos explained.

"What?! But we just got here! Can't we just have a quick break?" Rutee whined.

Kratos shook his head. "No. This is like war. We need to act quickly if we're going to find any clues on our enemy. Is that clear?"

Rutee sighed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"...Just meet us here in five minutes. That's all that matters." Kratos replied. He then walked off, but suddenly stopped in place.

Alex then sighed. "Might as well wait here. After all, there's not much that we can do with five minutes."

"Yeah..." Stahn merely replied.

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_Gilgulim, Platform..._

The four were standing over the platform, now gathered around Darius, who had his hand extended, a sphere emitting from it. On the sphere was Mithos, who was smirking.

_"So...I take it you failed your invasion? Heh...I must say, it was rather foolish for you to decide to only use my forces during the second half of the invasion. Now it looks like you'll have to...use a bit more force..."_ Mithos gleefuly announced.

Gritting his teeth, Tribilin reached into his pockets and pulled out the remotes. "Now, now, Mithos, insulting us wasn't part of the bargin. Don't forget that we still have this. Remember, one wrong move, and your sister is dead for good."

Mithos grunted. "Grr..."

"It doesn't matter, Mithos. As long as we have your cooperation, we will revive your sister. Just when this invasion is over, she'll then be back before you know it." Darius proclaimed.

_"...I'm keeping you to that. If I find out that you're not going to keep your end of the bargin, I _will _kill you."_ Mithos replied.

"And if you try that, we'll take your sister down with us. Oh yeah, there's one more potential person we could kill that would ruin your plans. What's his name...Kratos, or something like that?" Tribilin retorted.

Mithos froze when he heard that. _"...K...Kratos is there?"_

"Oh yeah, we had known about that for quite some time. Now, think about it. If we killed him, which probably wouldn't be hard for us, you would lose your control over that purple sword you own. And when that happens, as far as we're concerned, that sword's up for grabs! In case you didn't know, we have all the materials neccessary to make that Eternal Ring, we can forge it easily, and we could beat Origin without a problem. Well? What do you think?" Tribilin asked.

_"...You bastards...this is coercion..."_ Mithos snapped back.

"This is buisiness. Well Mithos? Do we still have your support?" The leader asked.

_"Fine. Just don't kill Martel or Kratos, understood?"_ Mithos replied.

"Understood, Mithos." The leader replied back. Darius then lowered his hands, and Mithos dissapeared.

The leader turned to Tribilin. "I've got to say, you sure know how to keep Mithos on the edge. Well done."

Tribilin smirked. "It's all buisiness...why not have fun with your subordinates while at it?"

Darius then looked towards Ailily. "Everyone, take a look at Ailily."

All four of them then looked towards Ailily. As they observed the town, they suddenly noticed some soldiers lining up, then marching out of town, headed towards the direction of Gilgulim.

"Heh...it looks like they're finally moving into attack...at last! I've been getting really bored up here! This is going to be good...heh heh heh." Tribilin noted.

"Hmm...I have only an hour left until I can create a portal...very well...they'll be here within the hour...get ready, everyone!" The leader exclaimed, the generals all getting prepared for the assault...

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_Fourty minutes later..._

Three thousand soldiers from the United Forces of Terresia were standing outside Gilgulim. They looked up, the spires creating a large shadow casting over the army. Alex and his friends were at the front line, looking right into the entrance of Gilgulim.

Kratos looked back at the army. "We're going in. If we need your assistance, we'll send red fire spells up into the air. When that happens, you can run in and try to find us. Got it?"

"Understood." General Zalgan replied.

Kratos nodded, and Alex and his friends walked through the entrance of Gilgulim. The second they walked in, many of them gasped.

"Wow...so _this _is Gilgulim? Cool!" Lloyd shouted.

The party was now standing in the purple caverns of Gilgulim. The whole place was still very dark, and it was somewhat hard to see.

"..." Alex was silent. He then began feeling the mana of Gilgulim, using the World Tree to examine it's area. As he managed to make contact with the World Tree, he then checked the mana of Gilgulim, searching for life. He was silent as he did this, looking over everything. When he finished, he looked up, confused.

"Strange..." Alex commented.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Alex?" Chester asked.

"Huh? It's just that...I checked this area's mana for life, and according to what I saw, there are only four actual lifeforms here. Meaning that there is no army here." Alex replied.

"...That is indeed strange. Maybe it's a trap? In any case, just be careful." Eugene replied.

Alex nodded. "Right. Let's..." Alex started, but stopped when he saw a strange gleam in Raine's eye.

"Uh...Raine? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Genis noticed this, and a look of horror filled his face. "Oh no...Alex, run!"

Alex was confused. "Huh? Why..." Alex wondered, but he looked at the gleam in Raine's eye again.

_Oh crap...I just revealed my ability to detect mana...I got to get out of here!_

Alex then ran as Raine started ranting about how it was amazing that Alex could identify mana, and how she needed a "sample" from Alex, but then stopped as he saw the others try to calm Raine down, succeeding, though she was reluctant.

"Alright then. You know the way, Alex?" Senel asked.

Alex nodded. "Right. I can guide us to the main section of Gilgulim."

"Well then, let's go!" Harold exclaimed.

Alex nodded, and he began running down the pathways of Gilgulim, remembering the path he had taken the last time he had been here. As they traveled among Gilgulim, everyone noticed Alex was right; there were no soldiers or monsters along their path. Ten minutes later, Alex and his friends had reached the final staircase, looking up at it.

Alex then went up the steps, but as he reached the top, he stopped. "Huh?"

"What's up, Alex?" Colette asked.

Alex stroked his chin. "Hmm...that's odd...come up here, everyone.

Everyone then walked up the steps coming to see what Alex was looking at. When they reached the top, they saw Alex was looking at a small platform with pink cable-like wires supporting it.

"It's an elevator...what's so surprising about that?" Leon asked.

"That's the thing...last time I was here, there was no elevator." Alex replied.

"Really?" Arche asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah...oh well, I guess we'll just have to find out where it goes."

Everyone nodded, and they stepped on the elevator. As soon as everyone was on, the elevator began going upwards, going to the highest point...

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_Gilgulim, Top._

The party was standing on the elevator, waiting as it ascended. Finally, it stopped at the top, and everyone got off. When they got off, they were greeted by the sight of the leader and the three generals.

"Ah, finally...We've been waiting for you...Terresian Descender..." The leader remarked.

Alex then gasped audibly. "You...you know what I am?" 

"Oh yes. We know _all_ about you, Terresian Descender. We know of what you've accomplished here, and everything else about you. We've been wanting to meet you for a very long time..." The leader remarked remarked.

"So you're...you're the ones who attacked the town!?" Reid asked.

"Heh heh heh heh heh...very good. Yes, we are indeed the ones who lead the attack on the town...there would have been so much more beautiful bloodshed...if it weren't for _you_, you Terresian Descender. If you hadn't gone and warned the people about us, we would have been able to kill so much more people...Terresia would have been ours..." Tribilin replied.

Lloyd grunted. "What the hell do you want with Terresia?! This is our world, and we're not letting another damn invader try to take it from us!"

"Heh...I'm afraid that's not your buisiness, kid." Tribilin replied.

"Wait...if you truly are the invaders, then tell me...are you really from Pasca?" Alex asked.

All four of them looked surprised at this, Darius included. "How...did you know about that?"

"I read the letter from your dead general's body. So tell me...are you from Pasca or not?" Alex replied.

"Huh. I guess maybe we shouldn't of written that letter. But yes, you are indeed right. We are from the world of Pasca." The leader replied.

Alex gasped. "So...so it's really...true...but...but how's it possible?! Gilgulim devoured Pasca a while ago!"

"You really _are_ well informed. True, Pasca was eaten, but I guess you don't know the full truth of what really happened when you defeated Widdershin and damaged Gigulim's core beyond repair. Very well, I will explain to you." The leader started.

"As you probably know, Pasca was a disastrous world. We fought over the mana of the land, our various kingdom all waging long wars against each other. These wars probably would have continued...if it hadn't been for our Descender."

"Kannono..." Alex softly muttered to himself.

"Anyway, our Descender wiped out all human life on Pasca. When this happened, the World Tree was near death, and Widdershin tricked our Descender into allowing Gilgulim to absorb Pasca. Once that happened, Pasca was absorbed, but it was not to be the end."

"As you've heard, everything that Gilgulim consumed became a part of Widdershin, and that all of the worlds became a part of Gigulim. The things that became part of Widdershin included the life of everyone in every world."

"Anyway, fast forward. You arrived, and defeated Widdershin, killing him. Quickly after that, you damaged Gilgulim's core beyond repair. When you damaged the core of Gilgulim, the stress becam too much, and it released all of the world's it had consumed. However, using the last of it's strength, Gilgulim managed to keep the world's inside of Gilgulim. That means that while the world's are still alive and existing, they are not planets in the universe like they used to be. Gilgulim then dissapeared into the depths of space in order to recuperate."

"Now when you defeated Widdershin, everything that was a part of Widdershin was released into the worlds inside Gilgulim. When this happened, everyone's lives on every world destroyed by Gilgulim were restored, bringing us and everyone else on Pasca back to life. Realizing the error of our ways, our kingdoms signed treaties ending the previous conflicts that had caused mankind on our world to become extinct."

"However, due to being in Gilgulim for so long, our world's clock went off balance. What happened in a week in Terresia was two years inside Gilgulim when it and all of it's inhabitants were restored. However, now time has flown normally again at the same pace in your world. That's why we're are from Pasca." The leader finished explaining.

After this, everyone's mouths were wide with shock, including _Kratos'_. Everyone's eyes were filled with shock as well.

"All the...all of the worlds are alive inside Gilgulim? Does that mean...does that mean _our_ worlds are alive in Gilgulim too?" Leon asked.

"Yes. Every world that was eaten by Gilgulim now continues to live inside Gilgulim, with everyone going on with their own lives. The only problem is that we can't escape Gilgulim." Darius replied.

"But...but that still doesn't explain how you got to Terresia! If you were stuck in Gilgulim, then how'd you get to Terresia? It makes no sense!" Alex exclaimed.

"Right, I forgot to explain that. All right, I'll tell you." The leader started again.

"After Pasca was revived, the four of us each learned that we had special powers of our own that we could use. My ability was opening portals. Every eight hours, I can create a portal to anywhere I want, as long as it's a reasonable range. And since all of the world's are trapped inside Gilgulim, I can create a portal to visit any world I want."

"Do you remember that blue light from earlier? Thar was us, connecting this world to Gilgulim. And now, allow us to introduce ourselves."

"I am the leader of Pasca's armed forces. I can create portals, as I just told you." The leader explained.

"I am Darius, general and leader of the First Division. I have the ability to look at anyone in the world, and I can even communicate with them." Darius stated.

"Heh heh heh...Tribilin...general and leader of the Second Division...nothing gives me greater satisfaction than torturing people...so fun...I get excited every time I do it..." Tribilin explained.

"And I...I am Belladonna, general and leader of the Third Division. My abilities...nothing that special..." Belladonna explained.

"Enough talking! Can I just fight that Terresian Descender now?!" Tribilin snapped.

The leader shrugged. "Do as you wish."

Tribilin then raised his fists, getting into battle position. Seeing this, the entire party got into battle position, but Tribilin shook his head.

"Ah ah ah...I'm only going to fight the Terresian Descender. The rest of you just back off." Tribilin stated.

Alex then drew his sword. "Why? Why fight me in paticular?"

"Because...you're a Descender. A Descender will make an interesting opponent. For your information, I've already killed one Descender before...and it was too easy!" Tribilin explained.

Alex looked surprised at this. "You've...you've killed a Descender before?"

"Heh heh heh...yes. It was last month. We went to a specific world, and we attacked it. The Descender of the world tried to fight back, but we over powered him, then took him back to Pasca and gave him a slow and painful death. It was the Descender of...Yaoon, I believe...what was his name...right! The Descender I killed's name was Mormo!" Tribilin explained, seeming to stress the last few details.

Alex suddenly gasped loudly. His heart suddenly felt like it stopped, and his eyes widened. "W...what? Mor...Mormo?"

Tribilin nodded, a malicious smirk on his face. "Heh heh heh heh heh...That's right...Mormo. I remember that day clearly...we went to Yaoon...we attacked it...he fought back...then I knocked him out. After we finished in Yaoon, we returned to Pasca. That's when...the fun began."

"Then, we took him to the torture room, and strapped him to a table, waking him up. Next, I got medical tools...and I dissected him...while he was still conscious. I can still remember those screams...those wonderful screams of pain! I enjoyed keeping him alive for as long as I could until I killed him! That was the most satisfying thing I've done in my life! Heh heh hehe hehehehehe heh!" Tribilin explained.

Alex then froze completely, and started breathing quickly. He felt like a part of him had just died.

_No...NO! Mormo! He was...my most...my most...loyal friend! He stuck with me the whole time, worried about me while I was troubled, never gave up on me, and treated me well...is this...is this what it feels like...to lose a brother? NO!! MORMO!!  
_

Alex then felt anger surging through him, tears flowing in his eyes. He glared at Tribilin with an expression of pure hate, eyes glowing with anger.

"YOU...YOU DAMN BASTARD! YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Alex then screamed out, and charged directly at Tribilin. Tribilin smirked, and just jumped away from Alex's sword swing. Yelling out in anger, Alex then proceeded to perform a Rising Falcon. Tribilin merely jumped over it, then puched Alex directly in the stomach with a strange tech. Alex then coughed, and fell to the ground, weak.

"Hmph! You call that a fight?! That was too easy! Mormo would be dissapointed in you, Alex." Tribilin muttered.

"SHUT THE HELL UP! SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! MORMO DIDN'T DESERVE THAT!" Alex screamed.

Suddenly, the leader's arm glowed blue. "Perfect. I can call up upon a portal now! Darius! Tribilin! Belladonna! Let's go! We're leaving!"

The leader then placed his arm forward. At the tip of his hand, a blue portal started forming. Alex then moved slightly forward.

"WAIT! GET BACK HERE NOW! I'LL KILL YOU!" Alex shouted. Suddenly, he put his hands forward, and the same light that appeared whenever he had destroyed a Gilgulim node appeared from his hands. The leader gasped.

"What...he has full control over that?! Damn! Let's go!"

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Alex shouted. He then launched the light forward, and what happened next would forever seal the fate of the events yet to come.

As Alex's light shot forward, the leader than was just about to finish the portal. Just before the full portal formed, the light hit the leader's arm and the portal. The leader than screamed, and the same blue light on his arm suddenly flew up into the air. The blue light than hit Alex's arm, and he felt some sort of power flowing through him.

"AHHHH! DARIUS! TRIBILIN! BELLADONNA! THE PORTAL'S STILL ACTIVE! GO! AND TERRESIAN DESCENDER, YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! WE'LL MEET AGAIN!" The leader shouted. The four than ran through the portal, and dissapeared through it. However, unlike the other times, the portal did not dissapear, and stayed there.

"Damn it! They got away!" Lloyd shouted.

"There's nothing we can do about it. For now, let's return to town, and..." Kratos started. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud sound. Looking for it, they heard it come from Alex, who was crying.

"Alex..." Philia muttered pitifully.

Alex's tears were running down his cheeks quickly, and he was crying loudly. He was talking to himself.

"No...I let them get away...Mormo...no, Mormo...my friend...my...brother...Mormo..."

"MORMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Alex screamed.

Alex's friends could only watch in sorrow as Alex weeped bitterly for his lost friend, his cries echoing throught Terresia...

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**Hi, how was it? I know, it was a very sad and informal chapter, but I had planned it from the start, and even I had difficulty writing that part. Please don't hate me for this, and please don't stop reading the story because of this. I've heard of several stories where people have stopped reading because of character deaths, and I don't want my story to be one of them, especially considering this is my only popular story. Anyway, final poll update:**

**  
Tales of Phantasia: Cless, 2 votes, Mint, 1 vote, Klarth, 1 vote, Suzu, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Destiny: Kongman, 1 vote, Johnny, 1 vote, Chelsea, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Eternia: Farah, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Rebirth: Veigue, 1 vote, Mao, 1 vote.**

**Tales of Legendia: Grune, 3 votes, Jay, 3 votes, Chloe, 1 vote, Shirley, 1 vote.**

**This ends the character polls. No more votes are allowed. In the event of a tie, I will pick the winner.**

**Good night, everyone...I feel so awful for doing this...I'm sorry.**


	7. Chapter 6: New Allies

**Hi. I'm Final Poke Mario Fan, and I hope you're still reading this story after last chapter (Hey, I didn't like Mormo that much either, you know). I had difficulty writing it, after all, it was the first time I've ever written a character death. Anyway, here are the winners of the poll. When there was a tie, I will explain why I chose that character:  
**

**Tales of Phantasia: Cless**

**Tales of Destiny: Johnny (He's pretty much one of the only unique Tales of characters that isn't reused in later titles.)**

**Tales of Eternia: Farah**

**Tales of Rebirth: Veigue (I know Veigue better than I do Mao, so I chose him.)**

**Tales of Legendia: Jay (Sorry, those of you who wanted Grune...while I do believe Grune is a good character, she would have been too hard to work into the plot, and Jay is simply easier to work with...sorry, Grune fans. Don't hate me for it.)**

**  
All of these poll characters will be making there first appearance this chapter, along with one other character...wink wink**

**Alright then, here's the chapter.**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 6: New Allies

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_Pasca, Unknown Room._

The three generals were gathered around a bed. On the bed was the leader, who was gritting his teeth. His right arm was wrapped in bandages, and they were already soaked in blood.

"Argh! Damn him...damn that Terresian Descender...he nearly blew my arm off...Rgh!" The leader grunted, face angry.

Darius bowed his head. "Sir, we're sorry for this, but we have some bad news."

"...What?" The leader asked.

"Apparently, since the Terresian Descender blasted you and the portal, this left the portal incomplete. Because of this, the portal was one-way, and still exists in Terresia." Darius explained.

"What?! Damn it! Now they can go after us, but we can't go after them! This is just great!" The leader exclaimed.

"Huh? What do you mean 'We can't go after them'?" Belladonna asked.

The leader grunted in pain again. "Grr...my arm. When he blasted my arm when I was forming the portal, I could feel the power just leave me, and flow away! Now I can't make portals anymore!"

Tribilin slammed his fist on the ground. "Damn it! Without portals, we can't invade Terresia at all! Our plan is ruined!"

Darius cleared his throat. "That's just the tip of the iceberg, sir. Not only can the Terresians go through the portal, but because of the connection process that happened shortly before that, they can go to _any_ other world."

The leader was angry again. "Shit! Now that we can't go back to Terresia, they'll most likely build up their forces, then launch attack on Pasca. This means..."

"We're in for a war." Belladonna answered.

Tribilin smirked. "What's to worry about? The numbers of our army far outmass their numbers of the Terresian military! There's no way that they could build up a massive army in a short time! And besides, I don't think the Terresian Descender was much to worry about."

"Are you stupid, Tribilin?! Look at my arm! If he's capable of doing that, he's capable of doing that to you! And the only reason you were able to beat him so easily is because of the fact you blinded him with rage. By the next time you meet, he may be able to control that rage and put up a fight against you. Is that clear, Tribilin?! Don't get cocky!" The leader exclaimed.

Tribilin gritted his teeth as always, but said nothing.

"Alright then! We need to prepare for the possibility of a war against Terresia! Darius! Until I recover, I will leave all my duties to you! I need you three to build up our forces and hasten our magic development in our soldiers! Also, begin stationing our troops around Pasca! Understood!?" The leader instructed to the three generals.

"Yes sir!" All three replied. They bowed, than ran off, getting to work. When they left, the leader grunted again.

"Damn you, Terresian Descender...You'll pay for this with your life..."

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_Ailily, Alex's house._

Alex lay on the bed. He had cried so much after hearing about Mormo's brutal death that he had fallen unconscious, and was brought back to Ailily. Currently, he was being watched by Chester and Senel. His friends had decided to take shifts of two in watching him, and Chester and Senel. As Alex lay down on the bed, he was currently having a dream.

_Alex was standing in a blank white room, with nothing else there. He turned around, looking in all directions. As he looked to the left, he saw Prophet standing there._

_"We meet again, Alex. We knew about what had happened to your friend. We're sorry for..." Prophet started._

_"Sorry! What do you mean, sorry!? You didn't know Mormo at all! Mormo was a good friend! He stuck with me the whole time! He cheered me up when I was depressed! We did almost everything together! He was like a brother to me! How can be sorry towards a person you didn't even know, huh?! How can you..." Alex exclaimed, crying again, collapsing to the floor._

_"...We are sorrier than you think, you know. Anyway, now's not the time. We have something to tell you..." Prophet began._

_"What, you're going to leave me one of those damn cryptic messages again? Why the hell can't you just say it out loud?! It would have made everything a hell lot easier! If you did, I would've known that Gilgulim was coming with people from Pasca on it, and I would know who the traitor is! Why can't you..." Alex snapped back._

_"...Calm down. Believe us, we would like to tell you the direct truth, but we're not allowed to. Now, allow us to tell you something." Prophet replied._

_"...Fine. Start explaining." Alex answered, standing up._

_"Good. All right then. Do you remember when you sent out that light that you used to use whenever you destroyed a Gilgulim node?" Prophet started._

_Alex looked confused. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I remember...wait a minute...I thought that power only appeared whenever I had to destroy a Gilgulim node! So why was I able to use it?"_

_"It appears that when you matured when you were reborn from the World Tree, you gained full use over that power. However, we do not recommend that you use it." Prophet answered._

_"Huh? Why?" Alex asked._

_"That skill consumes a lot of mana. If you use it too much, you could die very easily. Therefore, you should not use it. However, that's not what we came came here to talk about." Prophet explained._

_"Then what is it you want to talk about?" Alex asked._

_"Anyway, when you sent out that light, you attacked that man's arm and the portal. Do you remember a blue light coming out of his arm and hitting you when you hit him?" Prophet asked._

_"Oh...yeah, actually, I do. It was kinda strange. After that light hit me, I felt some sort of power flowing through me. It was really strange." Alex replied, a curious look on his face._

_"Right. That's the thing. You see, Alex, when you blasted the man's arm, he was still forming the portal. Because of this, you did so much damage to his arm that he lost the ability to create portals. And that blue light was the portal creation ability, which you gained when the light hit your arm." Prophet explained._

_Alex gasped. "So...you're saying that now, I have the ability to create portals?"_

_Prophet nodded. "Right. And that's not all. When you blasted the arm, the portal the man was creating was damaged. This left the portal incomplete. Normally, when a portal is created, the portal dissapears after the creator of the portal has passed through. However, since you damaged both the creator and the portal, the portal is now there permanantly. Because of this, you can go to any world in Gilgulim."_

_"...Any world?" Alex asked._

_"Yes. Now Alex, listen to us. Terresia and Pasca will soon go to war with each other, but the battleground will be in Pasca. With the current army, however, you have no chance of winning over Pasca's forces, and this is numbers alone." Prophet stated._

_"What?! Then...then what can I do? Is the situation hopeless?" Alex asked._

_Prophet shook his head. "No. You see, Alex, you can access other worlds now. You must go to these worlds, and convince armies from other worlds to join your cause. When you do that, you'll have an army strong enough to fight against Pasca's armies. You'll need about 600,000 soldiers. Also, while the man had to wait eight hours in between times he could summon portals, you only need two, probably because of your Descender abilities. Oh, and one more thing. About your friend..."_

_"...What about Mormo?" Alex asked in monotone, trying to block out his thoughts over Mormo._

_"When you fight the one who killed him again...you must learn to control your anger. If you don't control your anger of him, you'll never be able to avenge Mormo." Prophet replied, and started fading._

_"But...but how?! He killed my friend! I can't let him get away with it!" Alex exclaimed._

_"We know! You're right, you can't let him get away if it! But if you can't control your anger, you can't kill him! Learn how to, and avenge Mormo! Farewell for now!" Prophet shouted, dissapearing. As he dissapeared, the white room began to dissolve, and Alex felt himself returning to consciousness..._

Alex then opened his eyes, groaning a little. He then heard two gasps, and then Alex rubbed his eyes, looking around him. He saw Chester and Senel looking at him in surprise.

"A...Alex! You're awake!" Senel exclaimed.

Alex then rubbed his eyes. "Ugh...I'm...I'm in my house in Ailily? When...when did that happen?"

"While we were on Gilgulim, you fell unconscious. We brought you back here in Ailily, and we decided to take shifts watching you. Are you ok?" Chester asked.

Alex nodded. "I'm fine. What time is it?"

"It's about 7:30 now." Chester explained.

Alex sighed. "I...see." Suddenly, Alex then remembered the dream, and turned to Chester and Senel.

"You two...can you find the rest of the Ad Libitum members and tell them to meet in the guild in an hour? I need to talk to everyone about something. Tell them it will be as strategy meeting." Alex requested, turning towards them.

Chester and Senel looked surprised, but they nodded, and headed for the door. When Alex heard the door shut, he could feel tears coming down again.

"Mormo...if you can hear me...forgive me...I...I couldn't avenge your death...You...you didn't deserve...you didn't deserve to die that way! I'm sorry Mormo! Forgive me! You were...you were like a brother to me...I know it seems kind of odd, but...the way our friendship was...it was more like a relation between brothers than friends."

"I miss you already Mormo. I wish you were still alive. I really do! But...there's no way...to bring you back...While you may be gone, you will forever live in my memories and everyone else's, you hear? I swear Mormo...I swear I will avenge your death...I'm going to kill Tribilin! Is it...is it wrong for me to seek vengence? If so, forgive me Mormo, but I must avenge you. Goodbye...Mormo..." Alex finished. He then began to cry loudly again, his sobs echoing around his house...

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_One hour later, Ad Libitum Guild._

Alex was now standing in the Guild, standing behind the desk. In front of him were all of his friends, watching him with interest. When Alex looked at Kratos, who stood beside the desk, Kratos cleared his throat.

"We will now begin the 16th official strategy meeting of Ad Libitum. Is everyone present?" Kratos asked.

"Hold...hold on a moment! I thought these strategy meetings took place only in Doplund? How come we're having a strategy meeting here and now?" Stahn asked, confused.

"Normally, that's true. However, in this situation, it's an urgent matter, and besides, all the Ad Libitum members are here anyway. Now Alex, please explain what it is you called a strategy meeting for." Kratos replied.

Alex nodded. "Yes, Kratos. Alright everyone, listen up."

"While I was unconscious, I had a dream. In it, I saw that man who told me that there was evil coming last week...his name was Prophet, remember. Anyway, do you all remember when I blasted that man's arm with that light I produced? Anyway, the light I fired damaged both that man's arm and the portal itself. According to Prophet, when I damaged his arm, a blue light came out of it, and the light flowed into me. This light was the ability to created portals, which he lost and I gained." Alex started.

Everyone looked at him surprised, Raine and Harold both having gleaming eyes.

"So...so does that mean you can create portals?" Reid asked.

Alex nodded "That's right. I can now create a portal every two hours. Moving on, Prophet also told me another thing. He said when I launched that light at the man, the portal was also damaged before it was complete. Usually, portals dissapear right after the creator goes through the portal. However, in this case, since I damaged the portal while it was incomplete, that portal is now there permanantly."

"Using this portal, we can go to _any _world trapped inside of Gilgulim. Prophet said that at this point, in our potential war on Pasca, we have no chance of winning, as our army has too low numbers compared to the Pascan army. However, there is one way we can combat them. We need to go use this portal to go to other worlds, and ask for assistance from their armies. He says we'll need about 600,000 soldiers. If that happens, we have a chance a beating the Pascans. That's all." Alex finished, leaving out the part of getting vengence for Mormo, as he felt that was too personal.

"...We have heard the statement. Any comments or suggestions?" Kratos started.

Leon raised his hand. "If we need soldiers, I think I know where to get some of them. You said that we can travel to any world inside Gilgulim, correct? Then, I think it would be a good idea to go to my world. I have ties with the military there, and I think I can persuade them into lending us soldiers."

Alex was a little surprised. "Really? Does anyone else have ties to a military here?"

Eugene raised his hand. "In my world, I used to be a Commander, but...not anymore."

Harold raised her hand. "Well, in my world, I was the head of the weapons developement department in an army."

Senel then raised his hand next. "Where I come from, I'm what they call an Alliance Marine. I just basically patrolled the ocean, though."

Alex then waited a second, and when he saw no one else raise their hand, he sighed. "Well, it's a start."

Kratos then interrupted Alex. "It seems that we all have a common thought: the need to wage war on Pasca. While Pasca can't reach us, apparently, there's no telling what those four will be able to accomplish. According to them, they are the leaders of the armed forces of Pasca, and they might have influence over other worlds. If we don't attack, something might happen to Terresia. All of you in favor of declaring war on Pasca, raise your hands."

Alex surprised. "We...we have the ability to declare war on Pasca?"

"The three nations all agreed that we have full control over the United Forces of Terresia. This effectively makes us some of the top leaders of the Terresia military. All of us have a rank in the military now. I will tell everyone their rank later. Anyway, raise your hands if you're in favor." Kratos replied.

Soon, everyone raised their hand, though several of them were a bit reluctant to. Alex, though, was having trouble raising his hand.

_Man...I don't feel good about this...I'll be agreeing to wage war on Kanonno's world..._

_Kanonno isn't there anymore, and she's not coming back._ Alex's mind replied.

_I know that! It just...doesn't feel right._

_You're just going to have to try to forget about Kanonno. You're not going to be seeing her ever again, you know._

_Yeah, yeah, I know!_ Alex replied to his mind. He then raised his hand up into the air. Kratos then noticed it.

"Then it's settled. From this moment on, Terresia is at war with Pasca! This ends the 16th strategy meeting of Ad Libitum. All of you, I recommend that you get some good sleep tonight. We have a lot of work to do tommorow. Meet me at the entrance of the town in the morning." Kratos replied. He then headed for the door, and walked out of it. Everyone else, taking Kratos' words seriously, also left the Guild, headed back to wherever they slept. As Alex headed towards his home, he was still in thought.

_Already, only two months after the Gilgulim incident, Terresia is now caught up in a war...Damn it...I thought that things would get better for Terresia after I saved it...why the hell did this have to happen! Nothing good will come out of this war, but...there's nothing we can do to stop the war. They attacked us, and there's no telling what'll happen to the world if we don't take action! Damn it!_

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_Ailily, next morning._

Alex woke up in his house, still drowsy. He then got out of bed, made breakfast, and then put on his armor and headed down for the entrance. As he walked, he could see many soldiers running around, still preparing for the war. When Alex reached the entrance of town, he saw everyone waiting for him. Suddenly, he noticed there were five people he didn't know standing there- four men and one woman. He saw Kratos walk over to him.

"Are you ready, Alex?" Kratos asked.

"Y...Yeah...sorry for asking, but...who are those people over there? I've never seen any of them before."

"Ah, right. Those people are the new Ad Libitum recruits who joined after you stopped Gilgulim. You five, it would be good if you introduce yourselves to Alex." Kratos explained.

The first man walked over to Alex. He wore white body armor, and had on some black clothes underneath them. He wore a red cape and a red headband. He had blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He looked to be around Alex's age, 17. On his left hip was a sword.

"Hi there. I'm Cless Alvein, a friend of Chester's and Arche's. Nice to meet you." The man announced.

Alex then shook Cless' hand. "Nice to meet you too. Chester did once tell me he did have a friend who was a swordsman. Guess it was you."

Cless nodded. "That's right." Cless then broke off the shake, and walked back over the rest of the group.

The next man then approached. Alex immediately noticed the man's odd clothing. He wore a turban-like thing on his head, with blonde hair and green eyes, and looked to be in his mid-20s. He had red clothes on and a blue cape, held together by some strange green orbs and shield-like objects. He was carrying a lute.

"Pleased to meet you. My name's Johnny Shiden, and I'm an aquaintance of Stahn, Rutee, Leon, Philia, and Garr." The man replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Alex replied, also shaking Johnny's hand. Johnny then walked back to the other Ad Libitum members.

The next person, a girl, approached. She too, looked to be about 17, and had green hair and brown eyes. She wore a red collar around her neck, and had a red and orange dress on, with a white flower pattern on the bottom of the dress. Alex noticed that she had no weapons, and quickly rationalized that she was probably a hand-to-hand fighter.

"Hey there! I'm Farah Oersted, Reid's friend! Nice too meet you!" The girl energetically stated.

Alex nodded. "Same here." Farah also went over to the rest of the group.

Another man then went up to Alex. He was a pretty tall man, but still looked somewhat young, though older than Alex, and had light blue hair and dark blue eyes. He had a light blue piece of armor on his chest with a dark blue shirt that went down to his knees, where he wore light grey pants and black boots. He also had a sword on his left hip.

"...Veigue Lungberg." The man simply replied.

"Err...nice to meet you too?" Alex managed, a little surprised by this man's attitude. Veigue nodded, and walked over with the rest of the group.

Finally, the last man went over to Alex. He was a short, young boy with a pale face and black hair and light blue eyes. He looked to be about sixteen, judging by his face. He wore a strange purple coat with blue and orange stars all over it, and had extremely skinny legs, with white shoes. He looked at Alex.

"I'm Jay, a strategist for Ad Libitum. Nice to meet you." The man replied.

Alex shook his hand. "A pleasure, Jay." Jay then walked over to the rest of the group.

Kratos then cleared his throat. "Now that we have introductions out of the way, let's begin. Our object is to get to the top floor of Gilgulim, then use the portal lying there to visit other worlds and ask the armies of various worlds to join our cause. We need to raise an army of at least 600,000 soldiers. Once this has been completed, we will launch an attack on Pasca, and begin our war. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now Alex, I have a favor to ask you." Kratos stated, turning to Alex.

Alex looked back. "What?"

"If you could, could you try to summon a portal to get to the top of Gilgulim? It will save fifty minutes of walking." Kratos requested.

"Wh...what? Kratos, I don't know how to make portals! I haven't even tested it out yet!" Alex replied, looking nervous.

Kratos crossed his arms. "...Are you saying you can't do it?"

"N...no, that's not what I'm..."

"Then it's better now than never. Just try to summon a portal. If you can't do it, then the whole plan is ruined."

Alex sighed. "Fine, I'll try it. But don't blame me if something goes wrong."

Alex then closed his eyes. He felt around the mana in his body, and suddenly found what appeared to be foreign mana. Searching it out, Alex realized it was the teleportation mana. Focusing his energy into it, he suddenly felt a power surging through his arm. Remembering what the man on the top of Gilgulim did, he focused the energy to the tips of his fingers, picturing the top of Gilgulim in his mind. His hand filled with the mana, he released the power, and opened his eyes.

Suddenly, Alex's hand was glowing blue, and a blue ball was in his hand. Pushing it forward, the ball grew in size, growing into an circular shape. Alex finally released it, and as he did, the light glowed, and materialized in front of his, a bright blue spiraling circle in front of him. Alex and the other stared at it with amazement.

"I...I did it...I...created a portal..." Alex gasped out with shock.

Kratos smiled. "Congratulations, Alex. Did you set the portal for the top of Gilgulim?"

"I'm pretty sure I did. Just remember, I can't create another portal for at least two hours, just so you know." Alex replied.

"I know that." Kratos replied.

Alex nodded. "All right, everyone, go through the portal. The portal will close when I go through it, so you'll all have to go first."

Everyone nodded, and walked into the portal one by one, each dissapearing whenever they stepped into the portal. When everyone had gone through, Alex stepped in the portal, which dissapeared once he stepped through it.

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_Gilgulim, Top._

Alex walked out of the portal. When he got out on the other side, he saw he was on the top of Gilgulim, all of his friends in front of him. At the end of the platform, like Prophet had said, the portal the leader had created was still there. He gasped in surprise.

"W...wow...it actually worked." Alex stuttered. He then walked over to the portal, staring at it intently.

"...So, what you're saying is that this portal will take us to any world inside Gilgulim?" Jay asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how it works, but that's the way it works, apparently."

"Then let's go!" Cless stated.

Alex nodded, and was about to go through when he felt something weird with the portal. He then closed his eyes, and felt the mana of the portal. When he checked it, he could feel three lifeforms moving towards him through the portal. He gasped, and stopped checking the mana.

"Everyone, there are three people headed this way through the portal! I don't know how they are, but we can't ignore this! Get into battle positions!" Alex exclaimed to everyone.

Everyone then got their weapons out, ready to attack whatever came out. Suddenly, the portal glowed blue, and the sound of screaming could be heard. Suddenly, three figures fell right out of the portal, two of them screaming. Alex suddenly saw the people, and everyone gasped in surprise when they saw them.

"What the...everyone! Lower your weapons! They are not enemies!" Alex explained.

Looking at the ground, he saw none other than Luke and Tear. Looking at them, Alex saw they didn't really look different, although for some reason, Luke's hair was much shorter, cut in the size of an ordinary guy. They both got up, and Alex noticed a third figure with them.

The figure was a man who looked to be in his 30s. He had long light brown hair and dark brown eyes, wearing glasses. He wore a strange light blue coat over some dark blue clothes, similar to Veigue. As far as Alex could see, he had no weapon.

"W...what? Where...where are we? We defeated Van, and I just lowered the Sephiroth, and...that blue light..." Luke muttered.

Tear shook her head. "This place looks...strange."

"My, my, it seems that we are lost in some where that's not Auldrant." The man answered in a sarcastic tone.

"...Luke?" Alex asked out loud, thinking that Luke didn't notice them.

Luke looked up at him. "Huh? A...Alex? Wh...what are you doing here? Does this...does this mean that we're back in your world again?"

Tear turned to him. "It sure would explain where we went after that light. But...is this really Terresia?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, you two...er...three...are in Terresia now? Did you teleport here again or however it was you got here?"

"What? But...but that doesn't make any sense! Jade, do you know what's going on?" Luke asked the man.

"I'm afraid I'm completely clueless. I've never heard of this 'Terresia' that you spoke of. I would like a full explanation." The man replied.

"In a little bit, Colonel." Tear asked.

"So...so how did you get here? Did you do something to get here?" Alex asked Luke.

"I...I don't know. It's a long story, but basically,we had defeated the man terrorizing our world, I, er, was doing something to a certain device, and I succeeded, when all of the sudden this blue light appeared in front of us and we got sucked in!" Luke explained.

Alex was a little surprised at Luke's behavior. Last time they had met, Luke was a completely selfish, spoiled brat. Now, he seemed like a totally different person.

"Well, you're back in Terresia now. By the way, who's that man with you?" Alex asked.

"Allow me to explain that. I'm Colonel Jade Curtiss. Pleased to meet you." The man, Jade, explained.

Alex shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too." He then broke off the handshake.

"As much as I want to find out why we're here, may I ask if something happened to Terresia? It feels sort of...different, somehow." Tear asked.

"It's a long story." Alex replied.

"We're not going anywhere." Jade replied.

Alex sighed. "Alright. Well..."

_And so, Alex explained to the three about what had happened in the past week to Terresia, explaining about the upcoming war and their situation..._

"...and that's all." Alex finished.

"My, my, a war, huh?" Jade stated.

"So...so you're saying that if you don't declare war on that world, Pasca, Terresia might be destroyed?!" Luke asked.

"Well, we don't really know what they want. All we know is that if we don't do something, things might get ugly." Alex replied.

Luke then thought for a second, and walked over to Tear and Jade. They began talking amongst themselves for about a minute, and Alex looked at them curiously, unable to figure out what they were saying. Finally, the broke off, and Luke walked over to Alex.

"...We want to help you out." Luke stated.

Alex was surprised. "What? You don't have to do that! We can get you back to your world right now, you know."

"No! We want to help! We can't let another world get destroyed over a war! And if what you're saying is right, our world might be in danger too. So...please! Let us help! We have close ties to our governments, and we can get them to lend you soldiers!" Luke retorted.

"R...really!?" Alex replied, shocked.

Tear nodded. "Yes. Luke is close to his countries' royal family, and Jade is a good friend of his countries' emperor. We can definately get you help."

Alex thought over it for a second, looking over to Kratos, who nodded. Alex then turned back to Luke.

"Ok. We'll accept your help." Alex replied.

Luke smiled. "Good. Then, if you can, could you stop over at our world first? Not only do we need to get the soldiers, but we also need to tell our friends we're ok and we'll be gone for a while."

"Very well then. Everyone, let's go army hunting!" Alex stated.

Everyone cheered, and people headed for the portal, ready to find soldiers...

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_One week later..._

Alex stood on the top of Gilgulim, looking down. Below him were over 600,000 soldiers, assembled from some of the greatest armies in the worlds. It took a lot of persuasion and time, but Ad Libitum had managed to get 600,000 soldiers from the other worlds, telling them of the dangers that awaited them if they didn't. Alex had been made a Brigadier General in the army, with Kratos being the leader of the United Forces of Terresia. Clearing his throat, Alex spoke up.

"Attention, all of you! You have all been selected from some of the finest armies in all of the worlds. In the past, we have had no contact with each other, all of us being isolated. But today, this changes! Today, we will prove that all the worlds are united under one common purpose! And what is that purpose, you ask! To defeat Pasca, who's leader are planning something dangerous for all of the worlds!

"Now, I understand if many of you don't trust me. It's hard, trusting someone who's come from another world demanding soldiers for an army, acting as if he owns them. But this trust will unite us! Together, we shall protect our worlds! Together, we shall defeat those who wish harm upon us and our families and loved ones! Together, we shall bring all the worlds as one! We are all the United Forces of the Worlds! Now, we're going to go out there, and we're going to prove our unity in protecting our worlds! Are you all with me?!" Alex finished.

Many rallying cries and cheers rang out through the crowds, cheering Alex and his speech. The other Ad Libitum members smiled, proud of their friend.

"Right now, I'm going to open a portal to the roof! I want all of you to walk through the portal, and you'll all be on the roof! Once then, you'll see another portal in front of you! Go through that portal, and you'll be in Pasca! When you arrive there, wait for everyone else to get through, and await further instructions! Are you ready?" Alex asked.

Everyone shouted out.

"Good! Here we go!" Alex shouted. He then opened a portal on the ground below him, opening a path for the soldiers to the roof. Alex looked at the other Ad Libitum members, who nodded. They all stepped in through the main portal, and felt themselves getting sucked through it, heading for Pasca.

The war between Terresia and Pasca was about to begin...

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**Hey there, how was it? Did you like it? If so, PLEASE REVIEW! I want to get more than one review per chapter! Seriously! If you liked it, then write a review for it! As an author, the feedback is EXTREMELY helpful!**

**More big news! I'm going to be trying to make this story into a game (an RPG, using RPG Maker 2003). I'm excited about and I hope you are too. When I finish it, I'll inform all of you, and try to allow you to play it. Thank all of you and good night!**


	8. Chapter 7: Reconnaisence

**Hi again! I, Final Poke Mario Fan, am here in order to bring you the latest chapter in this story! Well, here we go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 7: Reconnaisence

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_Pasca, unknown location..._

The leader of the Pascan army was standing in his room. His arm had recovered for the most part, but it was still scarred, and he would never be able to summon portals again. However, he could still use his arm for swordfighting with no problem. He was looking over a map of Pasca, checking about various data of the surrounding regions. Suddenly, he heard knocking on his door.

"Come in." The leader answered.

The door opened, and a soldier came running through it. He held a paper in his hand.

"S...sir! We have a report from the excavation team stationed in Gravoise!" The soldier exclaimed, holding the paper over to the leader.

The leader then took the paper, and read over it. Suddenly, he gasped.

"W...what?! They...they found it there? And that other object?!" The leader stated, his eyes wide.

The soldier nodded. "Y...yes sir! The team dug it up about three days ago! They've sent it for transport over to here!"

"Good. We'll await their arrival. Once they arrive, have it brought to the storeroom! And have them place the second object in the Emerald Safe in the Fortress of Scaros! Is that clear?" The leader ordered.

"Yes sir! I will pass on your orders!" The soldier replied. He then saluted, then ran out the door. A second later, however, Belladonna walked through the door, panting.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Belladonna?" The leader asked.

Belladonna looked at him. "Just now, I walking outside when I felt something strange. Looking towards the direction of the World Tree at Granvoise, I suddenly saw a blue flash come from it. If I remember correctly, this happened whenever we used your portals to visit other worlds."

After hearing this, the leader had a look of shock of horror on his face. "There's...there's no mistaking it...that's the light of interworld portal travel...This can mean only one thing...the Terresian Descender has arrived in Pasca, with an army on his side...This means...war..."

Belladonna gasped. "War?! I...I had thought there would be a war, but not this quickly, only a week after our failed attempt of invading Terresia! How the hell did they..."

"We'll find out! Belladonna! Inform Darius and Tribilin of this! Tell the army that they need to head for the Granvoise region! I want the army ready in two hours! Once they're ready, head out for Granvoise as soon as possible! I'm heading off to the Jezid Ruins to set up the first relic! I'll meet up with the army later! Is that understood, General Belladonna?" The leader instructed.

"Yes sir!" Belladonna exclaimed. She saluted, and ran out of the room, running to prepare the instructions the leader had given her. The leader then went to his bed, sat down on it.

"Damn it, how the hell did they manage to amass an army in such a short time? They're not idiots, they know that we had a massive army that could beat them, otherwise we wouldn't have tried invading them! But, no matter. The first relic has been found, and the second one is on it's way here. Only one more relic, and everything I've strived for will finally happen..." The leader remarked, grabbing an object from a safe under his bed. He opened the safe and grinned as he looked at the object. Suddenly, his door opened again, and three figures in silver armor approached him, bowing to him as they neared him...

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_Pasca, World Tree..._

In Pasca's World Tree, all was quiet. The tree, unlike Terresia's World Tree, was filled with non-agressive monsters, merely living out in coexistance. The tree was filled with water, and flowers bloomed all over the place. Vines covered the insides of the tree, and the tree was made out of mahogany. A pleasent fragrance from the flowers spread from the tree, and the monsters continued walking on.

Suddenly, a large portal appeared in the center of the largest room in the tree. The monsters saw this, and quickly ran away in fear for whatever it was. It shone brighter, and suddenly stopped in place. Just then, an arm came out of the portal, and then a person walked out.

Alex walked out of the portal, the rest of the Ad Libitum members following him. They all stepped out, moving out of the way for the rest of the soldiers to come through when they came through the portal. They looked around them, and their mouths dropped in amazement at the tree.

"Wow...it's so beautiful..." Colette commented, looking around her.

Raine looked around in suprise. "Fascinating! There's nothing like this in Terresia! I must simply..."

Alex suddenly looked at some of the flowers. He noticed a group of identical looking white flowers lying on the ground in front of him. He bent down to take a looke at it. Looking closely, he could see some similar flowers, but instead of flowers, they were still blossoms, pink petals wrapped around the undeveloped plant. Looking at it one more time, he suddenly gasped as he realized what it was.

"A yunanate blossom..." Alex muttered to himself, picking the plant and examining it.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Chester asked from behind him. Alex turned around, and saw him looking down at Alex and the flowers intently.

"I was thinking about this flower...I've seen it before..." Alex replied.

"Really? I don't remember seeing a flower like this in Terresia." Chester answered.

"That's because it doesn't grow in Terresia. It's a special flower that only grows here in Pasca. The only reason I know what it is is beacause...Kanonno told me about them." Alex explained.

"Oh..." Chester replied, going quiet.

Alex went quiet too. Both of them knew that the other was thinking about Kanonno. Both men had liked Kanonno, though in different ways: Alex liked Kanonno as a friend, while Chester liked Kanonno like a little sister. Both of them were silent the whole time, just thinking about Kanonno.

_Hmm...come to think of it...Kanonno did say the first thing she smelled when she was born were yunanate blossoms...now knowing she was a Descender, it makes sense now. This place...it's far more beautiful than Terresia's World Tree...I wonder what other World Trees look like? We never bothered stopping in any of them during the recrution phase._

Suddenly, Alex heard the clanking of metal, and realized that the soldiers were starting to file in. Nodding to the other Ad Libitum members, they began to leave the tree, to allow the soldiers to enter the tree and exit. They walked out of the tree, and when they got out, all they could see were endless plains, no towns in sight. It was still early, the sun shining down through the clouds Suddenly, Alex realized something, and spoke out.

"Ah, crap."

Lloyd looked at him. "What is it, Alex?"

Alex sighed. "We were so busy getting the army prepared we didn't even bother getting any recon on Pasca. We have no clue on where any of the towns, forts, or castles are. We're basically screwed."

Kratos looked towards the plains. He focused on them intently, and suddenly stopped a few seconds later. "There's a town about 20 miles from here. If we march, we can make it to it by...noon, I guess."

Alex stared at Kratos incredelously. "K...Kratos...are you sure? I don't see any town anywhere nearby. Are you sure you're not just imagining it?"

"...Let's just say for now that I have really good eyesight. But yes, I'm sure. I see it clear as day over there." Kratos replied, pointing south of his location.

"Well, whatever. If Kratos thinks he saw it, then I believe that he saw it." Lloyd added.

Alex sighed. No matter what his mentor said, he would always have some doubts about hiim and his so called "skills".

_Wait...mentor? Why did I call...well, then again I guess that's really how I feel about Kratos. He is the leader of Ad Libitum, and he often gives me advice...Yeah, I guess I do think about Kratos as my mentor._ Alex thought.

Suddenly, he could hear the soldiers coming out. Looking behind him, he saw the soldiers exit the World Tree and begin to line up outside the tree in lines. While Alex dissproved of soldiers lining up in formation and planned to dissolve this strategy when he got the chance due to his position as general, he figured since the enemy wasn't nearby, he'd let it slide this time.

Soon, all the soldiers had fully assembled, and the leader of one of the divisions walked up. "General Aurion, what are your orders?"

Kratos looked ahead for a few more seconds, then looked towards the soldiers. "I believe that there is a town approximately twenty miles south of here. We should march there, take over the town, and try to find a map of Pasca or something in the town. We'll then occupy the town, and then try to figure out where we should go next. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied. He rejoined the formation of his company, and they looked towards Kratos, who nodded as always. They began marching forward, and Alex walked over to the front, as he was now a general. As he walked forward, he moved his hand to his belt, and grabbed out a glowing blue sphere.

Alex smiled. Over the course of recruiting soldiers to the army, he had been simply amazed by the incredible technology he had discovered while traveling. While he had seen many interesting pieces of technology, this one beat all of them by far. It was called a vaccuum-space sphere, which could hold an infinite amount of items. Even better, it could hold items of _any_ size, from a coin to a house. After learning about them, Alex had bought as many as he could, knowing they would be extremely helpful in the campaign (A/N: The vaccum-space spheres are taken from my story **Salvation and Death: The Power of the Elements**).

_These things...they're incredible! I can't believe they even have technology like this! I'll have to thank the people of that world...what was it called again? Right! Vitugalis! With these...the only flaw is that it might take a while to find the item that you want in the sphere, and that might cause you to die. In battle, you've got to recover fast or you're dead._ Alex thought. He pressed some buttons on the sphere, and viewed the contents of it, looking at a book.

_The _**Art of War**_...I didn't believe it when we went to that world Earth that they actually could make non-handwritten books on that "computer" or whatever it's called. But this book..._

When Alex had discovered **The Art of War**, written by a man named Sun Tzu, he had taken a look at the first chapter. After reading it, he had realized that this book would be essential for future strategies. Alex had bought copies for all of the generals, as the book gave detailed instructions on how a war should be fought. True, some of the information seemed outdated, but it didn't change a thing about the rest of it.

Alex then saw a list in the bottom of the sphere. On it were people's names and ranks.

_Oh, right...Kratos gave me that list. It contains the ranking of all of the Ad Libitum members in the United Forces of the Worlds. Might as well go over it one last time._ Alex thought. He then pulled out the list and took a look at it.

**Alex- Brigadier General**

**Kratos Aurion-General of the Army**

**Lloyd Irving-Lieutenant**

**Genis Sage-Sergeant**

**Raine Sage-Corporal**

**Colette Brunel-Sergeant**

**Chester Barklight-Lieutenant**

**Arche Klein-Sergeant**

**Cless Alvein-Captain**

**Reid Hershel-Lieutenant**

**Farah Oersted-Sergeant**

**Stahn Aileron-Lieutenant**

**Rutee Katret-Sergeant**

**Leon Magnus-Major**

**Philia Philis-Corporal**

**Garr Kelvin-Major**

**Johnny Shiden-Captain**

**Nanaly Fletch-Sergeant**

**Veigue Lungberg-Lieutenant**

**Eugene Gallardo-Major General**

**Annie Barrs-Sergeant**

**Harold Belserius-Corporal**

**Senel Coolidge-Captain**

**Jay-Lieutenant**

**Luke fon Fabre-Lieutenant**

**Tear Grants-Sergeant**

**Jade Curtiss-Lieutenant General**

Alex looked over everyone's name. When he saw his name at the top of the list, he sighed.

_Man...I knew I'd be in the army, but Brigadier General? I sure got the shock of my life when I found out about that one..._

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(_Flashback_)

_Alex and the other Ad Libitum members were standing in the Ad Libitum Guild. They had just finished their first they of scouting for armies, and so far, they had enlisted the help of three worlds. Kratos stood behind the desk, with everyone watching on. He had several sheets of paper in front of him._

_"...Well done, everybody. Thanks to our persuasion, we have assembled about 100,000 soldiers. However, don't get careless. We still need to find another 500,000! We're not finished yet, so we need to act fast! I recommend that all of you go to sleep in preparation for the next day. On your way out, take one of these sheets of paper in front of me. They contain all of the information on your military ranks." Kratos explained._

_Everyone nodded, then walked up to the table. Alex grabbed his paper, and took a look at it. A second later, he dropped the paper in shock._

WHAT?!?! _Alex thought. After everyone had left, he immediately took the paper, and walked over to Kratos._

_"K...Kratos...what the hell is this? Brigadier General?! What...what is this all about?!" Alex exclaimed._

_Kratos crossed his arms. "What's wrong? Brigadier General is a very high position in the army."_

_"Yeah, that's the problem! Kratos, look at me! I don't have any clue on how to be a general! I have no military experience! You expect me to help lead 600,000 people! I can't do it!" Alex exclaimed._

_"Just so you know, the Terresian governments made the decision to make you a Brigadier General, not me. You're going to have to deal with it now." Kratos replied._

_"Why...why would the Terresian government make me a general! What do they..."_

_"Alex, think about it. They now know that you're a Descender. They probably expect something incredible or amazing from you due to what you are, Alex."_

_"Just because I'm a Descender doesn't mean I like being one. You have no idea, Kratos...it's painful...not being able to live a normal life, not being able to be free...a Descender is merely a slave, bound to their world. And like a slave, when they have no more use to that world, they're disposed of."_

_"...Alex. While you may claim that you don't have what it takes to be a general, you already possess several qualities of one."_

_"...What do you mean?"  
_

_"Well, think about it. You're a natural leader...you immediately took up the role of destroying Gilgulim, while we stayed in the backround most of the time. You're very persuasive...you have that firm tone of voice when you order people, and you're a great speaker in front of others. But most importantly, no matter how hopeless the situation seems, you never give up...we all saw that quality during the Gilgulim crisis. Also, you have a very compassionate heart...you never kill unless it's necessary, and you care deeply for your friends. These are all qualities of a good general."_

_"..."_

_"I understand how hard it is to be a general. I'm the leader of the military, after all. But, I believe you can do it. Remember that you're not alone now. You have friends who care for you and their support. It doesn't matter whether you're a Descender or not. Just remember that you have people and a world to fight for. I believe that you can handle this."_

_Alex looked at Kratos. Tears filled his eyes as he listened to what Kratos was saying. At first, he thought that Kratos sounded a little hypocritical, but he didn't care at the moment, as he was filled with happiness._

_"Kratos...thank you..."_

(End flashback)

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_Kratos...you were right. I can do this. I have people who care for me, and I have worlds to protect. We'll probably be attacked in the nearby town...we have the element of surprise, however._

Alex then put the list away. He then focused back to what was in front of him. All he could see so far was just endless plains of grass and roots from the World Tree. He sighed as he continued walking down the plains, hoping that Kratos was right...

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_Four and a half hours later..._

Alex was on a road now, alongside with the rest of the army. He was now beginning to lose hope in what Kratos had said, as they had traveled for a while without seeing anything. However, something in the distance caught his eye while he was walking. As he tried to get a closer look at the object, he gasped in suprise, and could hear other soliders gasping too.

In the distance was a town. It was looked like any other town, just standing out in the middle of nowhere. As Alex looked closer, he could see various red and blue roofs around town, along with several guard towers. Alex reached into his vacuum-space sphere, and pulled out some binoculars. He then zoomed into the town, and could see various soldiers walking around the guard towers. He cursed when looked at this.

"K...Kratos...you were right...but...the town is heavily guarded. Any suggestions?" Alex asked.

Kratos merely glanced at him. "No. What about you?"

Alex gasped. _He's lying...I can tell it. He's probably just trying to test my abilities as a general._

"Um, well...I would first send our mages to blast the guard towers, followed by an attack from our archers...and then, when we go into the town, launch a close range fight in the town." Alex replied.

"There you go. Alright everyone, did you hear that? First, we're launching an attack from our mages on the guard towers ahead of us, followed with a volley of arrows from our archers. Next, when we approach the town, we will attack the survivors from the ground. Any other orders, General Alex?" Kratos announced.

"Yeah. Do not kill any of the residents. It's the army we're after, not them. They are to be treated well and not attacked while we're in the town, and they will be allowed to go on with their daily lives when we occupy the town." Alex replied.

"Understood." Kratos replied.

_Hmm...Kratos...you have more cunning than I thought...You smartly forced me into a situation where I had to form a strategy...cowardly, yet smart. I admire you for that._

Alex then sighed as he continued walking. Behind him, he could sense everyone getting ready for battle, with the sound of equipment moving. Alex then grabbed out his binoculars and continued to observe the guard towers. Below them, he could see that a wooden gate blocked the entrance to the town. An idea formed his head as he noticed a lever on the side that controlled the gate...

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_Fifteen minutes later..._

The military was now very close to the town, but thanks to some carfulness in their movements, they had managed to avoid beeing seen by the guards. Everyone knew, however, they would soon be seen if they didn't act fast.

"General, may we begin the attack?" A colonel asked Alex.

Alex thought for a second, and then nodded. "Very well. Get into battle positions!"

Suddenly, all the mages got out their staves. They began glowing with energy, and surged with the magic inside them. The archers also drew out their bows, and placed arrows on the strings. Alex turned to Kratos, who nodded.

"FIRE!" Alex exclaimed.

Immediately, various types of spells launched towards the guard towers, followed up by a volley of arrows. Alex could hear the soldiers scream as they were hit by the spells and arrows, and saw some of them fall over and scream. This caught the attention of the rest of the guards, who immediately drew their bows, and some of them drew staves. Alex raised his shield, and yelled out.

"Break formation! Spread out!"

The soldiers nodded, and went out of the lines they had previously been in, now running towards the town, shooting arrows or launching spells. Suddenly, Alex noticed the enemy mages had finished their spells, and now launched out spells like Burn Strike and Spread on the soldiers, and Alex cringed as he saw some of his men get killed by the spells. Alex then charged through, and issued more commands.

"All close range warriors, follow me! I'm going to try to pull of a difficult strategy that will cut down the time it'll take us to get to the gate!" Alex exclaimed.

His unit nodded, and followed his as he charged. Alex quickly used his shield to block off several arrows, and suddenly, he began charging his left hand with teleportation power. As he was nearly finished charging, he had the image of the lever near the gate in his mind. He then released the portal, and suddenly, it appeared in front of him, and in the distance, he could see the portal form right in front of the lever. His close range combat unit ran through, and when they had finished, Alex ran through the portal.

When he walked out, he was right in front of the lever on the gate. Looking around him, he could see that his unit had begun attacking the enemy at close range with their weapons. Alex heard a soldier approaching from behind, and Alex quickly used a Victory Light Spear when the soldier was close enough, killing him. Alex then slammed the lever down hard. Looking at the gate, he could see it beginning to open, the wood pulling back.

Alex then noticed one of the guard towers next to him. He quickly ran over to the wooden legs, and performed a Rending Tiger Blade on them. He cut through the legs, and he could hear the soldiers screaming as they fell off the towers to their deaths. Alex quickly then ran over to another tower, and repeated the process. Suddenly, he could see reinforcements coming through the gates towards Alex.

Alex cursed. Majority of the army was still headed towards the gate, and it was only his unit against the enemies. Alex lowered his head, realizing he had foolishly lead them to their deaths.

_I...I feel kind of sorry for the soldiers...despite the fact Pasca was the one who made the first strike, we're like the invaders now, and they're just fighting to defend their homes...Many of them must have...families...families who cared for them and loved them...parents, siblings, maybe a wife and even children..._

Alex then looked over at the dead soldier he had killed earlier. He looked at his sword in horror, finally realizing what it truly meant to kill. He felt horrified, realizing he had long disregarded killing humans, not even thinking about the ones who would suffer at their deaths. He was...he was...taking away human lives from the worlds.

_Why...why didn't I think about this earlier? These people are humans just like us! They have things they need to protect and we're...we're taking that away from them carelessly. I'm no Descender...I'm a monster._

Suddenly, the bright light that indicated time freezing occured. Alex then looked behind him, seeing Prophet.

"Hello, Alex. We have heard your thoughts about how you have only just realized what it means to kill." Prophet explained.

"Prophet...what do you think of me? Am I a monster? I killed people without disregard for their lives, and now, I'm fighting a war! Prophet, I can't do this! I can't fight a war when I've only just realized the significance of human life! What should I do?" Alex exclaimed.

"We don't think you're a monster, Alex. There are situations where people are forced to kill other people without choice. War is, without a doubt, the best example of this. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to help the situation."

"Prophet!"

"Alex. This may sound cruel, but it's kill or be killed. Fighting is something that, unfortunately, can't be avoided. You have the power to fight in the war, so you must fight. Try not to think of what will happen if you kill them, but think about what will happen if you don't kill them. That is all." Prophet explained, disappearing.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, time flowed normally again. Immediately, Alex saw a soldier running straight towards him. Trying to clear his head of thoughts, he attacked the soldier, trying to survive...

Ten minutes later, the situation was not looking good for Alex. The enemy reinforcements still outnumbered his unit, and they were trapped without backup. Alex slashed across another soldier's chest, some wounds on his body. Suddenly, when he was panting, he saw some spells come by and hit several soldiers, killing them. Alex turned around, and saw the rest of the army close by. They ran up, and started attacking the reinforcements from the gates.

Alex ran in towards the chaos. About a minute later, it was all over. The United Forces of the Worlds had quickly wiped out the remainder of the soldiers in no time flat. Alex stood there in surprise.

"W...whoa...amazing..."

Jay suddenly then noticed a building behind the gate. "There's a guard station behind the gate. I'll take my unit in there to investigate, while the rest of you go into the town itself. Meet me back here when you're done."

The generals nodded, and Jay and his unit walked over into the guardhouse, opening the door. Alex sighed, and started walking with everyone else into the town. The town's roads were made of stone, and many white buildings were scattered around the town. The town looked like something out of medieval Europe, with signs hanging over the various shops and bars. Flowers decorated the sides of the town, blooming everywhere. The town appeared to be deserted, but everyone knew the villagers were hiding in fear of them in their homes. Alex decided they would state their intentions in the town square.

The army continued marching through the town, passing by the houses, seeing the occasional fearful eyes of the townspeople peeking at them. Finally, they reached the center of town, looking around. They could see that majority of the houses lay in that area, along with many shops. There was a statue of the World Tree in the plaza, overlooking the area. Alex turned to the army.

"Everyone, I'm going to go announce our intentions to the town if they can hear us. Is that ok?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Alright, here I go." Alex replied. He cleared his throat, and began speaking.

"Citizens of this town! I'm sure you are frightened by our appearance in this town. But before I begin, I'd like to say that we mean no harm! We do not wish to hurt any of you or your families. I'm about to explain why we're here!

"We are soldiers from all over various worlds, but our origin point is a world called Terresia! Last week, your army came to our world and attacked it, attempting to take it over! We are not blaming you citizens, but we have been provoked and we're launching a counterattack in response to this on Pasca! I'm sure you all find this hard to believe! I don't blame you, after all, we did come to your world and invade this town!

"However, we don't want to hurt you or take over this town! Our fight is not with the people of Pasca, but with the soldiers of Pasca! We have come here to kill four people who are threatening the safety of our world! We do not wish to kill any of you! We will occupy this town for military use, but we will allow you to go on with your daily lives. It'll be like we don't even exist here! We don't want to interfere with any economical situation or personal!

"We swear on these terms to treat you well and not to harm any of you! As for the soldiers who fell today...we are building a memorial outside to commerate them. This is all we wish to say. I only hope you can trust us."

After Alex had finished, he and the other Ad Libitum members headed towards the guard outpost, leaving the soldiers to run things. As they approached, they saw the people had less fear in their eyes as they looked at them. Alex then reached the guard post, and opened the door.

He was standing in a large, open room. It was wooden, which seemed to be crafted out of oak or something like that. There were various desks and cabinets all around the room, with equipment lying around the side. Jay was standing next to a table, looking at something.

"Hi Jay. Did you find something?" Senel asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Everyone, please come over here to the table. I have something to show all of you." Jay replied.

Everyone then walked over to the table, and looked down. On the table was a map, made of parchment.

"A map? Jay, is this...?" Alex started.

Jay nodded. "Yes. This is a map of Pasca. While you were in town, I was able to make several observations of Pasca. I will explain them to you now."

Jay then pointed to a spot on the map. "As you can see, Pasca has been divided up into 3 major continents and nations...we're currently on the continent and nation of Granvoise, located at the far east end of Pasca. We are currently located in the town of Darlian. There is a large bridge that connects Granvoise to the next continent, the continent and nation of Scollance. Scollance then goes south, and towards the bottom of the land, a checkpoint divides it between it and the final continent and nation of Lavard.

"As you can see here, Granvoise is mainly a green country, with several forests and rivers all over it. However, in the far south, the land is a barren desert, with only one oasis in the whole place. Scollance is mainly a mountainous region, as it gets very cold up there due to influence from the polar icecap near it. Finally, Lavard is also mainly a foresty nation, with more of an industrial feel than the rest of Pasca.

"There's also the polar icecaps and an island south of Granvoise, but those aren't really important. Now, according to this map, there are many towns and forts here, with the castle located to the northwest of here. Also, this map tells us that the strongest military power of the three nations is Lavard, so I would say that it's safe to assume that the four people you claimed to have seen in Terresia are there.

"Now, I think the best course of action would be a total takeover of Pasca. That means we take over every fort, every town, every piece of land. While this strategy will cost us many soldiers, it will be incredibly helpful in the long run. If we do this, by the end of the war, if our plan works, the Pasca forces will have nowhere to run and we'll be able to defeat them. Now, according to some reports that we found on the desk, there have been excavation teams in pretty much every natural landmark in Pasca. I believe we should check all of these landmarks to see what they're up to. Any complaints?" Jay finished.

Everyone looked at Jay in amazement, as he had come up with a brilliant strategy in such a short time. Kratos cleared his throat.

"I believe that Jay's plan should be the one to use in this war. Any complaints?" Kratos asked.

No one said anything, all of them agreeing.

"Good. Everyone, get to work. We should get started on making this town, Darlian, our main base for a while. We also need to build a memorial for the fallen soldiers on both sides today. Get moving, everyone!"

All of them nodded, and ran out of the post, ready to get to work...

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**How was it? Sorry if it was a little rushed at the end. Anyway, please review!**

**Now, for the next few chapters, I will be putting up profiles for my OC's. While all of them can be found in my profile, I'll put them up anyway. Here's Alex's:**

**Alex: Terresian Descender, main character.**

**Age: 17. Hair color: Light brown. Eye color: Blue. Weapon: Sword**

**Voice actor (If there was one): Yuri Lowenthal**

**Name origin: My best friend's name.**

**Good night people! I'll try to get a map of Pasca up as soon as I can!**


	9. Chapter 8: Dual Strike

**Here we go once again! Final Poke Mario Fan here, you know the drill! Here's the next chapter!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 8: Dual Strike

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_Pasca, somewhere in Scollance, evening._

Belladonna, Darius, and Tribilin were marching through the plains. Behind them were thousands of Pascan soldiers, marching in formation. Belladonna's soldiers wore black armor that was not as heavy as normal armor, but still made of a hard material, and wielded many "quick" weapons such as shortswords, bows, staffs, and knives. Darius' troops, as a contrast, wore dark blue, heavy armor made out of a very stiff material, and they all wielded swords and spears. Tribilin's soldiers wore dark green armor that was easy to move through, and had knives, swords, maces, and staffs. Belladonna sighed, and looked down, Darius noticing.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Belladonna?" Darius asked with concern.

Belladonna looked at him. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing...I just have my minds on many things...what with the war and all of that."

Darius lowered his head. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I kind of feel a bit worried about you...after all, you're only 17...a young age to even fight in a war, you're already a general. I don't find that very appealing."

"So you don't want me to fight at all? I can't do that, Darius." Belladonna replied.

"I know that. I'm just saying that a general at age 17 is not something ordinary. You're still a teenager, Belladonna, and war is a very serious thing. I don't believe that teenagers are meant to fight war...it's too stressful for them and it's not something they should deal with. War can be...cruel." Darius replied.

Belladonna sighed. "Darius...I'm not a child. I'm going to be 18 in another 5 months, you know. I'm old enough to manage myself, and I can handle a war. It's the only thing I can live for...I'm not fighting this war because I want to, but I'm fighting it in order to protect Pasca and fulfill Master Valvus' dream. I don't need you worrying about me."

Darius lowered his head again. "...You're right. I'm sorry, it's just that...you remind me of her so much."

When Darius said "her", Belladonna lowered her head too, feeling sorry. "Oh...I'm very sorry, Darius. I didn't mean to bring back up those memories...forgive me for doing so."

Darius shook his head. "No, it's alright. It's not your fault, after all. But I can't forget that. Remembering that time is what keeps me motivate to fight. I hate war, but I need to fight. Valvus' dream is correct, and we need to help him along the way as much as possible. For that reason, we must win this war to prevent our people from dying...War is...a truly sad period."

Tribilin scoffed. "Are you kidding me? War is great! War is what gets people moving! There's so much fun to be done in war it's not even funny! War is where people truly thrive...it's in human nature to fight. In war, people's true selves emerge, often making for _delightful_ results...But most importantly, in war, there's so much bloodshed. All that blood...it's so satisfying...it makes me excited to see people die, their blood everywhere...so satisfying...blood..."

Belladonna looked at Tribilin. "You're incredibly messed up, you know? And I don't mean as in normally. I mean, you're so messed up that words can't even describe it."

Tribilin only smirked. "Why, thank you."

Belladonna sighed, and turned towards Darius. "See what I'm saying?! Tribilin's messed up in more ways than one! How did he ever become a general anyway?"

"While Tribilin is insane, after reading his file, I don't blame him. Anyone would go insane after an event that traumatizing. I sure as hell know that I would have." Darius replied.

Belladonna nodded. "I guess you're right. The civil wars back them were even worse than they were three years ago, before that Descender came along and annihilated all of us. I'd sure as hell like to give that Descender a piece of my mind."

"...Even so, that doesn't change the trauma that Tribilin went through. War or no war, fourteen days would drive anyone mad in those conditions. He's lucky enough to be alive right now." Darius replied.

Belladonna nodded. "What's worse...he was only eight at the time of the incident, right? The earlier the trauma happens in your life, the greater it affects you. Also, since he was eight, he could definitately remember that time. It makes you pity him a strange way, but all his other comments take away that sympathy that you feel towards him."

Darius nodded. "Right. You know, it's strange how we all have been involved in something bad in war. _That_ happened to me three years ago, Tribilin's incident, and you being found in the middle of that destroyed city when everyone's lives were restored."

"..." Belladonna was silent, thinking over the matter.

"We'll been in Fort Alquez in about half an hour. Have your soldiers ready." Darius stated.

Belladonna merely nodded, walking ahead, in thought.

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_Darlian, Camp._

The Terresian military was sleeping in thousands of green tents. After they had conquered Darlian, they agreed that they should camp outside for the night in order to give the city's residents some space before they officialy occupied the city. They knew that there wouldn't be many more chance for a suprise attack on a town or fort like they had today.

Alex was sitting outside his tent, eyes downcast. Despite what Prophet had told him, Alex did not feel any better about his enlightment that when he killed people, he was taking away human lives.

_Why? Why didn't I realize it earlier? Why didn't I realize what it meant to kill people? I...I killed all of those soldiers today, last week, and during the Gilgulim crisis! I slaughtered them with disregard to who they really were! Human life...while I'm not technically a human, it doesn't change what I have done. This is...this is a sin...a sin I will never be able to erase. Damn it! Why did things have to be this way?_

Suddenly, Alex looked above him. He saw Jade walking around the camp, heading for his tent, when Jade noticed him, and walked towards Alex, his face the same as always.

"Is something wrong, Alex?" Jade asked, staring him down.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I...I just couldn't get any sleep." Alex quietly replied.

"...You're thinking about the people you killed today, aren't you?" Jade asked, pushing his glasses up.

Alex gasped, surprised that Jade had seen through his lie. "W...what? How...how did you..."

"Your eyes. Luke's eyes were the same way after he first killed another person. He too was in shock and he hates the idea of killing people." Jade replied.

Alex looked a little surprised. "Luke is...like me?"

Jade nodded. "Yes. After his first kill, he was then shortly put in another battle against another human. He couldn't kill him, though, and it nearly cost him his life if we hadn't killed the man first. After that, Luke was afraid of killing people, but he didn't want to be useless, so he vowed that while it was scary, he would kill other people. Despite this, killing still haunts him now...in our world, on nights where he'd killed soldiers or bandits, he would have nightmares about the people he killed. He still does."

"...Jade, do you consider it weak for me to be reluctant to kill people?" Alex asked.

Jade lowered his head. "No. It shows that you have something that I don't."

"Huh?"

"I...I still don't fully understand what it means to kill. Throught my whole military career, I have never felt guilty or upset once for having killed another human. Even with everything I've done, nothing has changed to me. That is a point you are stronger than me at."

"Jade..."

"I've heard of your origins, Alex. I know you probably don't think of yourself as human, but remember this: while you may not think you're human, you still are human in body and heart. You are capable of valuing human life, and that is what makes you human. Now if you'll excuese me, I'm going to my tent now. Good night." And with that, Jade walked away, his hands in his pockets as always.

Alex stood there stunned, his mouth slightly agape. As he closed his mouth and turned his head back towards the ground, he gave a brief smile as tears began to trickle down from his eyes.

_This is...this is the first time anyone's ever told me that I'm human...despite my origins and who I am, everyone treats me as human. All of that makes me cry. What's worse, if everyone truly does love me, they're going to be even sadder when I dissapear again..._

_This life of mine...no, everyone's life...it's like a puzzle. In order to complete the puzzle, or person, they need all of the pieces. Once all of the pieces have been assembled the puzzle, or in this case, life, is complete. As for me...my puzzle feels nearly complete, but..._

_I'm still missing the last piece of my puzzle...what is it? I want to find that piece before I dissapear again..._

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_Morning, camp._

Alex was lying down fast asleep on his cot, eyes shut as his breaths echoed the silent cabin. Suddenly, a soldier walked in, looking at Alex sleeping on the cot. He then tried to raise his voice.

"Excuse me? General Alex? Are you awake?" The soldier asked, a little nervous.

Alex then stirred in the cot, eyes opening. He then yawned, his eyes blinking rapidly as he stretched his body. He then sat up in the cot as he stared at the soldier, who was saluting.

"Hmm? What is it, officer?" Alex asked in a tired tone, still trying to wake up.

The soldier continued to salute. "General Alex, your prescence is required in the strategy tent, under orders from General Aurion."

Alex nodded. "All right, thank you for informing me. Tell them I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Sir!" The soldier replied, saluting again. He nodded, then walked out the tent.

Alex stretched one more time, then got out of his cot. He quickly opened a box in the corner of his tent, and pulled out his Radiant armor. As he changed from his clothes to the Radiant armor, he rubbed his eyes, that heavy feeling of tiredness upon them. Alex then took his vaccuum-space sphere from a nearby stand and placed it on his belt. He then walked out of the tent, heading for the strategy tent.

Alex passed through the many tents of the Terresian military camp. He could see several soldiers walking around the camp, some of them talking to each other while others held several objects. Eventually, after three minutes, Alex reached the strategy tent, and he then pushed the falds aside and walked in.

The tent was navy blue in color, with several desks spread out all over the room. Alex saw all of the generals and the rest of the Ad Libitum members gathered around a desk in the middle of the room. Alex walked over to where Kratos was standing, glancing at the map of Pasca.

"You wanted to see me, Kratos?" Alex asked, still a little tired.

Kratos nodded. "That's right. We're about to begin a strategy meeting for our next move in Pasca, and all the Ad Libitum members are required. Plus, you're Brigadier General.

Alex nodded. "True. All right, what's the latest plan?"

Jay stepped forward over the map. He then pointed around.

"As you can see, we now posses the town of Darlian, and we managed to catch the enemy by surprise. However, we won't be able to get that chance again, as by now, a lot of Pasca is most likely aware of our prescence. So before the bulk of the army gets here, we'll need to gain as much territory as possible. This means we'll probably get two days to act. In these two days, we'll need at least four more bases." Jay started.

"What? Four bases? We can't accomplish that in two days!" Lloyd explained.

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, as you can see, there are two forts nearby here: Fort Binde and Fort Luzco. We need to aquire these two forts by the end of today. Now, here's my idea. First off, we'll split off into two units. General Curtiss will take a unit of soldiers lead with various generals and Ad Libutum members to Fort Binde, which is to the west of Darlian. At the same time, General Aurion will do the same thing with Fort Luzco. You can see that there's a town southeast of Fort Binde. There's also a town south of Fort Luzco.

"Now, when both units have conquered the forts, both units will go south the the towns I mentioned. Once they have been conquered, we will use them as bases too. The Pascan army should then arrive the next day, so it will be very hard to keep the bases. Therefore, I have an idea. We'll send some other soldiers down to the bases, and have them battle the armies at the front lines. While we're doing that, we need the third group, lead by General Aurion, to conquer a few more bases.

"Once the frontline battle has calmed down, we'll meet down in the Forest of Romof, which is right in the middle of the continent. This campaign will probably take about a month to accomplish, and it is likely we'll lose a few battles along the way. Any comments or complaints?" Jay finished.

"Yeah! One month for one campaign? That's _way _too long!" Arche complained.

Jay merely sighed. "One month for a campaign is nothing. We're aiming for an ending to this war in a _year_. One month is nothing. Then again, if you'd prefer that we be at war for about five years, then be my guest."

"..." Arche shut up at this.

"Anyone else have a question?" Jay asked.

Reid raised his hand. "Yeah. What exactly is the Forest of Romof?"

Jay pointed to the map of Pasca in the Granvoise continent. "It's right here. According to some books we found in town, we have learned that it's a forest with high vegatation. Majority of the vegatables that are eaten in Granvoise come from the area, apparently. There's a fort to the north of it, Fort Razcard, and a town to the east of it, Telmas. Most of the people who live there are farmers. To the south of it is the Trabadian Desert. We'll discuss our strategy for taking over the desert when we meet up in the Forest of Romof."

Jade raised his hands. "I say that this is a good plan, but if it comes to deciding generals, I believe that me and General Aurion should discuss who will go with each unit."

Kratos nodded. "Agreed. All in favor of using Jay's plan, raise their hands."

Nearly everyone raised their hands instantly.

"Good. Me and Jade will go over there and discuss who's going with who." Kratos replied. He and Jade then walked over to a corner, pulled out some sheets of paper, and began discussing. Everyone just stood there and watched, crossing their arms. After about five minutes, the two came back, with a sheet of paper. They placed the paper on the table, and everyone looked at it.

**General Curtiss**

**Alex**

**Reid Hershel**

**Arche Klaine**

**Garr Kelvin**

**Leon Magnus**

**Raine Sage**

**Farah Oersted**

**Luke fon Fabre**

**General Aurion**

**Lloyd Irving**

**Eugene Gallardo**

**Colette Brunel**

**Stahn Aileron**

**Philia Philis**

**Senel Coolidge**

**Annie Barrs**

**Tear Grants**

**Nanaly Fletch**

**Darlian**

**Rutee Katret**

**Harold Belserius**

**Johnny Shiden**

**Chester Barklight**

**Veigue Lungberg**

**Genis Sage**

**Cless Alvein**

**Jay**

Alex looked over the list. When he saw his name and looked over the rest of the list, he thought about it.

_Hmm...so, I'm not with Kratos, huh? I think that it will actually make for a good experience. If I'm away from Kratos, I'll experience more things. Plus, it'll give me a chance to see what Jade's like in battle._

Around him, however, he could hear some dissapointed sighs or upset ones. He could tell that several of them were upset not to be with their friends, and that they knew they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while. Alex understood this, but knew that this was war, and thus reality.

"Alright everyone, these are your instructions. You are to meet with your units out front in two hours. Be sure you have everything you need. These are your orders, now go out and accomplish them." Kratos stated. He and Jade walked out of the tent, holding the paper.

Alex then sighed, and looked around him. He could see several of his friends say goodbye to their closest friends, or, in Genis' and Raine's case, hug each other goodbye with tears.

_I feel bad for Genis and Raine...it must be hard, having to seperate from your family during war...they'll both be worrying about each other during the campaign, wondering if the other has lived or died. It's amazing, what the bonds of family can be like._

_Family...I envy those two a bit. They are a family...something I'll never have. As a Descender, I don't have any parents, and the closest thing I had as a brother is now dead. It's impossible for me to get married or have children...I only exist to protect Terresia from its doom...then I dissapear, which leaves me no time to have a family. No...family is one luxury I will never be able to possess..._

Tears once again in his eyes, Alex turned away from his friends, and slowly and silently walked out of the tent, not wanting his friends to see him like this, as they already had things to worry about...

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_Two hours later, camp front._

Alex stood behind Jade, silent as always. He looked behind him, and saw thousands of soldiers behind him from both units standing in formation, ready to recieve orders. He put his hand towards his vacuum-space sphere, and looked over to Jade. Kratos stood in the middle of the field, and cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I will now go over your orders one more time. We are splitting off into two seperate units to attack the Pascan's nearby forts. According to estimates, the bulk of the Pascan army will be here in two days. Reinforcements are being trained in Terresia, but it'll be at least two months until they'll be ready. For now, we'll have to make do with all of you. Now, here are your objectives."

"General Curtiss' unit will attack Fort Binde, west of Darlian, while my unit attacks Fort Luzco, south of here. Now, after that, we'll have to conquer the nearby towns south of each fort the next day in order to gain a quick number of bases. After that, the Pascans should arrive in full force. While General Curtiss' unit fights the army, several units in Darlian will come down to assist General Curtiss' unit. While they're fighting, my unit will come down and conquer some more forts and towns while the army is distracted."

"Once the majority of the frontline assaults has calmed down, General Curtiss' unit will continue down south. Eventually, my unit and General Curtiss' unit will meet in the Forest of Romof. Once we arrive in the forest, us leaders will plan our next move of action. Is that clear, soldiers?" Kratos finished.

"YES SIR!" Thousands of echoes filled the camp, soldiers saluting.

"Very good. Now that that's settled, we'll be going now. All soldiers, move out!"

The two units began marching off, Kratos' unit headed towards the south, while Jade's unit headed off towards the west. Alex sighed as usual, and walked along with the rest of the army, watching as Kratos dissapeared with his unit into the distance...

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_Six hours later..._

Alex was still marching west with the unit, observing the surroundings. As far as he could see, Granvoise was a very lush region, as they had passed several forests and some streams. The sky was dark today, with clouds gathering in the sky, blocking the sunlight. However, the temperature was still warm, being summer and all. Birds flew through the air, gliding along the wind. Alex looked up, and sighed as he faced back towards the road.

"General, how much farther is it?" One of the soldiers asked.

Jade thought for a second. "I'd say about 45 minutes. This is good timing. Everyone, listen up, we're about to discuss battle tactics."

"Alright everyone, here's the plan. It's very likely the fort has recieved word of the takeover of Darlian. They're going to be expecting an attack and we won't be able to get in a sneak attack like we were able to last time. Therefore, we'll have to use more traditional tactics if we're going to win today. Here's how our attack will work."

"First off, the archer team will start off by shooting arrows towards the fort. This will catch their attention, and they'll most likely return fire. While the archer team is fighting them off, the mage team will assist them and help destroy the fort gates. Once the gates are destroyed or opened, we'll all head into the fort, and fight them out over there. While half of the close-range unit fights outside, another unit will sneak inside the fort and take over it from inside. This will then force them into surrenderring. That's the plan." Jade explained.

Alex was surprised. "Jade! What are you saying? That's way too risky! If we use that strategy, too many will die! There's got to be a better way!"

"...Can you think of anything?" Jade replied.

Surprised, Alex gasped, and thought for a second, his head lowering. "No..."

"Exactly. While it is a risky strategy, it's an effective one. It gives us enough time to break in and attack the fort. If we can do this fast enough, we'll be be able to take the fort over." Jade replied.

"And how fast is 'fast enough'?" Alex replied.

Jade pushed up his glasses. "I'd say about...half an hour at least. Potentially, the battle could last about an hour."

"Half...half an hour?! Jade, that's insane! You're..."

"Alex, your inexperience in war is showing. Battles can potentially last for days at times. Half an hour is almost a relief for soldiers. Now then, if you don't like it, you could take all the soldiers and run away, and watch as the Pascan army slaughters us all. Is that what you want?"

"No! It's not!"

"Then you're going to have to accept half an hour. Alex, let me remind you that I am Lieutenant General while you are Brigadier General. Therefore, I am still your commanding officer for this war, and thus you are under my orders. We don't want a loss of life in war, but it can't be helped. If we can't accept fighting this war, many more will die. Is that clear?" Jade replied.

"...Yes, Jade." Alex silently replied.

_Jade's right...there is no way to avoid death in war. I...I acted stupidly just now...it's impossible for there not to be death in conflict. I hate the idea of people dying, but if we're going to win this war and defeat those four, then I'll have to fight. There's...there's no way out. I chose this to protect Terresia, now I have to actually do this._

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_40 minutes later..._

The unit was now very close to the fort. In the distance, Alex could see the fort. It was wooden, with a guard tower that could see for miles. There was a large wooden gate blocking the entrance to the fort, with a wall erected around the fort. The fort itself was a large wooden structure the size of a small castle. Alex then reached into his vacuum-space sphere, pulling out binoculars. He then looked at the fort closely, and looked surprised as he scanned the fort.

"Huh? What the hell is this?" Alex exclaimed, confused.

"Hmm? What is it, Alex?" Jade asked.

"It's the fort! It's empty! There's no sign of human activity anywhere in the fort!" Alex replied, still shocked, scanning over the fort one more time.

Jade seemed a bit surprised, but thought over for a second. "Hmm...maybe no one's there. Still, be careful. We don't know what could happen."

Alex nodded, and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes widened, searching for something. However, after three more minutes of walking, Alex had still seen nothing. He then sighed, as the fort was very close to him.

Suddenly, Alex noticed a swift movement. As if on cue, thousands of Pascan soldiers suddenly popped out from behind the fort walls and unleashed their arrows. Alex quickly took his shield and blocked a few arrows headed towards him, though many soldiers behind him weren't as lucky.

"Shit! It's a trap! We fell right for it!" Alex exclaimed.

"Damn it! We need to alter the plan a bit...mages! Attack the fort gates while we block the arrows! Hurry!" Jade exclaimed.

Alex then continued to hold up his shield as volleys of arrows came towards them. Alex then quickly blocked several arrows as the archer team in the unit start lauching a counterattack, the mages now ready. Alex watched as another volley of arrows came from behind him while the mages cast fire spells on the gate, starting a fire. Alex then ran over to the gate, and then began launching off Demonic Chaos' at the fire, causing the damage to the gate to grow. He could also see the mages launching water and ice spells at the fire, as they aimed to capture the fort, not destroy it.

Suddenly, Alex saw, through a hole in the gate, a bunch of soldiers waiting for him. Alex then quickly ran back from the door to avoid the onslaught that would await him. He the looked at his unit.

"Fencer unit! Come over here and prepare for close-quarters battle in the fort!" Alex exclaimed.

His unit then ran over to him, and Alex stared at the door intently, sword ready. His unit had drawn their weapons as well, ready to storm the fort. Just then, Jade starting running over along with Luke and Leon, while Garr and Arche continued to lead the outside attack. Alex noted that Jade was now wielding a spear in his arm.

_Huh...that's weird...where did he get the spear?_

Jade then began casting, and then cast Thunder Blade, the giant electric sword colliding with the gate. Timbers flew up from the gate as a large hole appeared in it, the enemy soldiers now visible. Jade started casting again, and unleased another Thunder Blade, which destroyed the gate.

Soldiers immediately starting running outside the gate, and Alex ran towards them. He reluctantly slashed through a few of them, followed with a Rising Falcon. He then parried a blow and then slashed against the soldier's chest. Alex then used a Victory Light Spear to wipe his section clear of attackers. He then swiped again into the soldiers, but his sword was parried by a soldier. Alex then pushed forward and overcame the enemy soldier, killing him.

Meanwhile, everyone else was fighting in different ways. Luke was currently using a Rending Thrust-Swallow Fury combo, while Leon slashed across the army with his sword and knife. Garr was still shooting off arrows at the enemy, while Arche and Jade were casting spells at the enemy. Reid was using some Rising Phoenix's on the soldiers, and Farah was punching and kicking away. Alex could see that several in the unit had died already, having been pierced by arrows or struck down with swords.

Alex then gritted his teeth, and used Omega Tempest to cut through the crowds. As he ascended from the second part of the attack, he suddenly gasped in pain as an arrow hit him in the arm. Alex then fell to the ground, soldiers surrounding him. They were about to attack him, when suddenly, Jade's Absolute attack suddenly surrounded the soldiers, killing them. Alex got up, and quickly removed the arrow, gritting his teeth in pain. He then used a Rending Tiger Blade, taking out rows of soldiers. However, for every soldier he killed, it seemed like that two more came to replace that soldier.

Alex then used a Demonic Chaos, taking out another soldier. Deciding it was finally time to take action, he moved up through the forces, cutting down those in his way. He then noticed that a large amount of the archer forces still remained, and several of them turned their bows to Alex, firing arrows at him. Alex quickly used Guardian, a skill that Lloyd had taught him during the week of training in preparation for the Pascan forces. The arrows hit the green bubble harmlessly and fell to the ground. Alex then quickly started approaching the fort, purposely drawing the archers' attention while he used Guardian, allowing his unit to get inside the fort.

Alex then quickly dodged some more arrows, and then cut down a few more soldiers as he ran inside the fort. Entering the fort, he could see more soldiers coming at him from his left down a hallway. Alex then quickly used a Rising Falcon to cut down a few, then suddenly gritted in pain as a soldier slashed him. Alex then slashed through the soldier's chest. Realizing he was feeling a little weak and needed some more energy in order to continue using techs, Alex quickly got a Melange Gel out of his vaccuum-space sphere and swallowed it, feeling both statistics of him being restored slightly.

With renewed vigor, Alex now ran down the hallway, his unit following him. As they approached a fork in the hallways, they saw some more soldiers approaching them from both halls, and the forces collided. Alex swung his sword sideways, killing another soldier while another soldier swung his sword at him. Thinking fast, Alex threw his shield at the soldier, which hit his neck, breaking it. Alex then thrusted his sword into the soldier's chest, and took his shield. He then swung upwards at another soldier, causing the other soldier's sword to fall away. Alex then kicked the soldier and placed his sword near the soldier's neck.

"FREEZE! Tell me, where is the commander of this fort? If you refuse to comply, we will kill you!" Alex exclaimed, although deep in his heart he didn't want it to come to that.

"You...you bastards! Invading our homeland like this...why would I..." The soldier started. He looked to be in his mid-30s, with a beard and brown eyes. He glared at Alex with hate.

Alex placed the tip even closer to the soldier's throat. "Asshole! Don't resist! We're serious about this! You...you probably have a family, don't you? People you love and people who need you! If you don't resist, we won't kill you, and you'll be free to go back to them! Now answer the question! Where is the commander of the fort!?"

The man looked stunned at Alex's words, surprised the enemy was showing this level of compassion. He finally spoke up. "End...end of left hallway...there's a staircase. Go up it, and take a right when you get to the next intersection. When you're down that hallway, take the fourth door on the left. The...the commander is in there."

"I thank you for your cooperation. Now, I'm sorry about this, but we're going to have to knock you out. However, I will stay true to my promise to let you live and return to your loved ones." Alex replied. He took the hilt of the sword and slammed it into the soldier's head, which caused him to be knocked unconcious. Alex then turned to some of his soldiers.

"Take him to a safe place. We don't want him dying. I am going to be true to my word and let him free. So get to it! Everyone else, follow me to the commander!" Alex ordered.

The soldiers saluted, and took the man and carried him away. Alex then looked towards the left hallway, and began running towards it, his soldiers following suit.

_Twenty minutes has passed since the beginning of the battle...and we're already reaching its conclusion. Jade's right though. There's going to be battles that may even last for a day or so! This is a relief...but I'm still worried about later battles. I'll think later! Right now, I need to focus on ending this battle to minimize loss._

Suddenly, Alex heard fast footsteps from behind him. Sword ready, he turned around, only to breath in relief when he saw it was only Luke.

"Luke? What are you doing?" Alex asked.

"Jade asked me to go assist you. He said he had things outside under control, so I should lend you a hand." Luke replied.

"Well, you're timing is perfect. We were just about to go take out the enemy commander. We recieved information from an enemy officer about the commander's location! Let's go and take him out!" Alex explained.

Luke nodded. "Right!"

Alex then continued running down the hallway, Luke following him. As they reached the end of the hallway and saw the stairs, Alex saw a large group of enemy soldiers pursuing them, nearly three times the size of his unit. Alex swore, and looked ahead at the wooden staircase. It looked pretty firm, but Alex looked up, and saw a crack in the wood at the top stair, which was somewhat wide. Suddenly, Alex got an idea.

"Everyone! Keep running! Ignore the enemy and just concentrate on getting to the top of the stairs! I have an idea!" Alex exclaimed.

He then kept running, panting, with everyone following him. He then got on the staircase and started running up it. As he was running up, he could see enemy forces still chasing them in pursuit. Finally, Alex reached the top, Luke and several of his soldiers soon following. Alex just stood there, sword drawn, seeming to wait for something. Finally, when the last allied soldier got off the staircase, Alex ran over to the staircase and raised his sword, the enemy almost up.

With one swift movement, Alex slashed across the crack with all his strength. The crack suddenly split, and caused a chain reaction where the entire staircase gave way, the unlucky soldiers on it screaming as the fell down. Alex then saw the rest of the enemy looking in shock, then ran in another direction.

"That'll hold them off for a while! Let's hurry!" Alex exclaimed.

Everyone nodded, and Alex began running down the hallway, looking for the intersection. Finally, he spotted it, and turned right. Suddenly, several soldiers came out and attacked the unit. Alex quickly used a Demonic Thrust in order to thin their numbers a bit. He then mowed down a few more by using a Rising Falcon. Luke was also fighting hard, using attacks like Devil's Inferno and Sonic Blast. When all of the soldiers were dead, Alex continued run down the hallway, and saw the fourth door on the right, and bursted the door down.

The room was somewhat dim, with several torches lighting it up. A door leading outside was at the end of the room Other than a desk, it looked like an ordinary wooden room. However, standing in the middle of the room was a tall, red haired man. He wore red armor and had a mace in his hands.

"You! You must be the invaders! You will pay for what you are doing!" The commander exclaimed.

"We didn't want this either! Your country invaded ours first! Why don't you explain that to me?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Hmph! I have no need to tell you Master Valvus' intentions! I'll kill you right now and end this!" The commander replied.

"Bring it on! Soldiers! Take care of the rest of the floor! Let me and Luke take care of this!" Alex exclaimed, his sword ready. Everyone else nodded, and ran off.

Alex and Luke rushed into battle. The commander swung his mace, which caused both of them to jump away from the attack. Alex then tried using a Rising Falcon on the commander, but he simply dodged it, and swung his mace at the defenseless Alex, but Luke ran in and swang his sword at the mace, causing it to hit a wall, letting a little more light in.

Alex then shot a Demonic Chaos at the commander. He dodged them, and suddenly, his mace glowed red. He hit the ground with it, and suddenly, a large earthquake like shaking was felt. The commander then got close and his Alex, knocking him a few feet away. Alex got up, and then motioned something to Luke. Alex then performed a Demonic Chaos, which the commander dodged again, and then Alex tried a Rending Tiger Blade. The commander then defended himself from the blows, but then was knocked up into the air by Luke's Rending Thrust, followed by a Light Spear Cannon.

As the commander started lowering, Alex then used another Rending Tiger Blade. The commander fell back from all of the blows, but swung his mace again, and hit Alex in the chest, causing him to cough blood and crash into the ground. Luke quickly ran over to him and grabbed him, Alex's eyes shut. Luke quickly got out a Lemon Gel and gave it to Alex, and Alex suddenly felt energized again, returning to battle.

Alex then used a Demon Spiral Hammer, sending the commander up again, but the commander swung at Luke this time, hitting Luke in the arm, causing Luke to yell out, but suddenly, he started glowing. Concentrating, Luke went into Overlimit mode. The commander swung his mace again, but Luke knocked it aside with his sword, and performed a Devil's Inferno. When he finished, Luke glowed once again. He then was surrounded by white energy.

"NOW DIE!" Luke exclaimed. Suddenly, the energy appeared off the ground, and sent the commander in the air. Luke then sheathed his sword, and some strange sort of light ball formed into his hands, which he used to attack the commander. Suddenly, the ball exploded, and the commander screamed as he fell to the ground, dead. Alex stood there wide eyed.

_Whoah...Luke's gotten much stronger since he was last here...what was that?!_

Luke then turned to Alex. "Alex, if we've killed the commander, shouldn't the battle end?"

"Huh? Umm, well, if we show them proof that the commander is dead, then I guess we can force the enemy to surrender." Alex replied.

Luke then walked over to the commander's body. "Alex, open that door over there, then help me lift his body. We will show his body as proof to the enemy."

Alex nodded, and quickly ran over to the door. He opened it, and revealed a balcony directly outside, where the battle still raged. Alex then ran over to the commander's body, then they lifted it together. They walked onto the balcony, where they still saw magic, arrows, and sword blows still being exchanged amongst the enemies. Alex then cleared his throat.

"ATTENTION ALL PASCAN SOLDIERS! WE HAVE KILLED YOUR COMMANDER! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS NOW AND SURRENDER, AND WE WILL SPARE YOUR LIVES!" Alex exclaimed.

The battlefield suddenly grew quiet, and the Pascan soldiers all gasped as they saw the commanders dead body. Dropping their weapons, they raised their hands in the air, a sign of surrender.

"UFTW forces, victory is ours! Fort Binde is ours!" Alex exclaimed again.

Cheers then rang out through the fort, the UFTW forces celebrating their victory. As Alex scanned the battlefield, he looked at horror at all of the dead people in the field...people he himself had helped kill.

_This is...this is horrible. But...this is only the beginning. Yes, there will be much more bloodshed after this. This is proof that..._

_The Terresian-Pascan War has truly begun..._

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**Hi! Did you like it? Remember, if you actually like the chapter, the PLEASE review! Seriously, if you really liked it, just leave a review! They're VERY important! Anyway, now for the character profile!**

**Valvus: Brown haired man, leader of the Pascan forces.**

**Age: Between 40-50. Hair color: Chocolate brown. Eye color: Amethyst. Weapon: Sword**

**Seiyu (Japanese voice actor): Tessho Genda**

**Voice actor:****Jamieson Price**

**By the way, I'm still working on the game very hard. I've already picked the opening and ending songs, here they are:**

**Opening Theme: "Beautiful World" by Utada Hikaru.**

**Ending Theme: "Love Letter" by Gackt.**

**Until the next chapter, "Deadly Nightshade", that is all. Good night people!**


	10. Chapter 9: Deadly Nighshade

Hi all of you! I am indeed Final Poke Mario Fan, and I am here today to tell you of the next chapter of the story! Well, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: With the exceptions of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 9: Deadly Nightshade

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_Granvoise, unknown castle, evening._

Belladonna was sitting on the roof of a small stone castle, gazing up at the stars. In her hands were a pencil and a sketching pad. Looking back at the moon, she closed her eyes from behind her helm. She then opened them again, and continued to sketch, her mind on something. She looked down towards the sketch, and sighed, studying it carefully. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Turning around, she saw Darius walking out on the roof towards her.

"Hmm? Darius? What are you doing out here so late?" Belladonna asked.

Darius glanced over at her. "I decided to patrol the area for tonight. What about you? It's late, and we still have more traveling to do tommorow. You should get some rest."

Belladonna sighed. "I wish I could."

Darius glanced at Belladonna with a puzzled and concerned look, and noticed the sketching pad. "Hmm? You were out here sketching?"

Belladonna nodded. "Yeah. I felt it was important to do this...so I can try to figure it out."

Darius looked confused. "'It'? May I see the sketch?"

"Sure thing." Belladonna replied, handing the sketching pad to Darius.

Darius glanced at the sketching pad. He looked at the picture with puzzlement and confusion. "Belladonna, do you know what this is? I'm afraid I don't know what it is you have drawn here."

Belladonna shook her head. "I don't know either. This sketch...it's from a recurring dream that I've been having."

"A recurring dream?" Darius asked.

"Yes. For the past two years, ever since you guys found me, I've been having a strange dream. Many things happen in this dream, but this is the image that I get most. Strangely enough, I get this dream more often when I'm in Granvoise than anywhere else. I don't know what it is, but I want to find out. I believe that it may be of some importance." Belladonna replied.

Darius continued to study the sketch carefully. He suddenly showed surprise in his eyes when he saw something, but eventually gave the sketching pad back to Belladonna. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't help you with it. I don't know what it is. Sorry about that. Anyway, I must continue my patrol. You should try to get some sleep, Belladonna. Good night."

Belladonna nodded, her helm shaking. "I will. Good night, Darius."

The two nodded again, and Belladonna got up, walking towards a doorway that was illuminated by the radiant moon. After the door shut, Darius frowned to himself, eyes concerned.

"That sketch...her recurring dream...the dream frequently happens in Granvoise...could it be? No, best not jump to conclusions yet. But still, this is troubling. I'll send a letter to Master Valvus informing him of the sketch and what she told me." Darius mused to himself. He then walked towards another door, and shut it, the night silent as always...

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_Granvoise region, fourteen hours later..._

Alex breathed heavily as he sheathed his sword, looking over at his fallen opponent. He was standing in the middle of a town square, dead bodies and live ones all around him. Today, his unit had left Fort Binde, leaving several soldiers behind, and headed south for the town that was on the map of Pasca, a town called Rasgon. Although the number of soldiers here were still less than the soldiers in the fort yesterday, they still put up a fight. Alex suddenly stared at the bloody face of a soldier he had killed.

Alex's eyes widened, and he stared around at the bloodbath he had just created. Enemy soldiers had their limbs chopped off, decapitated, eyes and mouths wide open. Looking at all of it, Alex turned to the ground and threw up, his mind reeling in shock.

_I...I caused this? Why...why does this have to be?! Why the hell did Pasca start this goddamn war anyway?! If they hadn't gone and invaded Terresia, none of this would have happened! If they hadn't wanted to kill us out of a desire for power or whatever it is that they want, no one would have had to die! If this war hadn't happened, all of these people would still be alive and happily living! Why the hell did this happen?! Why?! WHY!? Damn you four...DAMN YOU TO HELL, YOU BASTARDS!_

Alex looked at his surroudings. He examined the town square, which had white bricks on the ground and several benches. Around him were several tall red houses, with people probably huddled up inside them in fear. The plaza had four pathways leading around the town, some stone archways above them. Unlike yesterday, it was slightly sunnier outside today, the clouds lesser in numbers. Alex could see some allied forces walk into the plaza, saluting him.

"General Alex! We have secured the rest of the town! The battle has been won!" One soldier announced.

Alex nodded, concealing his anger from his thoughts. "Good. Gather everyone else here. We're going to announce our intentions to this town as well. Find General Curtiss as well and tell him to bring his unit here as well."

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied. He then saluted Alex, and ran off to go round up everyone. While waiting, a thought suddenly came across Alex's head.

_"General Alex"? That...that sounds kind of awkward, actually. Most generals are referred to by their last names, after all. But this...I don't even have a last name. Because I'm a Descender, I only have a first name. Hmm...a last name...I guess I'll think that up sometime soon._

Alex then turned towards the sky, thinking.

_Hmm...how's Kratos doing?_

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_Granvoise region, another city..._

Kratos and Lloyd were currently running down an alley in another city, slicing away two soldiers. Behind them, two soldiers jumped down from the rooftops, their swords ready. Lloyd then turned around and used Tempest, spinning towards the enemy, while Kratos used Victory Light Spear. Kratos then quickly cast Thunder Blade, crashing down on several soldiers pursuing them. Lloyd then turned around, and used Demonic Chaos, the three shockwaves hitting three soldiers also in pursuit.

"Huff...huff...did we lose them?!" Lloyd asked.

"I...I think so..." Kratos replied. Suddenly, they saw several more soldiers in front of them. As Lloyd and Kratos got ready, they both suddenly got an idea, and turned towards each other.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lloyd asked.

Kratos smirked. "Heh. Only one way to find out."

They both raised their blades in unison. As the soldiers came close, they shouted out something at the same time.

"CROSS THRUST!"

Both of them proceeded to perform a Sonic Thrust at the same time. However, they both went really fast, and sliced through several soldiers at once, causing them to fall over and die. As they stopped the attack, Lloyd noticed another soldier running towards him, and suddenly, they saw a flaming ring from around the corner hit the soldier, killing him. Lloyd then saw Stahn running over.

"Lloyd! Kratos! We've taken the Southern Gate! How are things over here?" Stahn asked, jumping up and using Rising Phoenix on a soldier running towards him, the firey form of Stahn burning the soldier.

"Not good! We got seperated from our units, and there have been soldiers chasing us! We've been able to fight off most of them so far, but there's too many of them! At this rate, we'll be dead!" Lloyd replied, slashing across another soldier, while Kratos thrust through the chest of one other soldier.

"Damn! Well, my unit and Senel's should be here any minute! Hold out until then!" Stahn exclaimed, charging his sword and then using an Infernal Torrent on another group of soldiers, knocking them away with the large flame wave the attack sent out.

"We'll try!" Lloyd replied. He then saw a soldier running towards him from behind, so he turned around, grabbed the Vorpal Sword, and threw it, the sword piercing the soldier's armor, and he cried out as he died. Kratos then cast Lightning on another soldier, but suddenly, a few more soldiers fell down from the roofs and attacked him, managing to stab Lloyd and him in the process. Noticing that the soldiers were ganging up on Lloyd, Stahn then cast Explosion, destroying the group of soldiers, while Kratos cast Healing Stream on Lloyd, healing him.

Lloyd then got up and ran over to a dead soldier, retrieving his Vorpal Sword. He then noticed Kratos slicing two more soldiers with his sword, then casting Eruption on another group of soldiers. Lloyd then noticed three soldiers diving at Kratos, so Lloyd quickly used Omega Tempest, flying over towards two of the soldiers and catching them, then cut them up with the ascending part of the attack while Kratos thrust his sword through the other soldier's head, blood splattering over the ground, and Kratos then retrieved his sword.

Stahn, meanwhile, was busy fighting off some more soldiers. As another group approached him, he sighed and cast Explosion, the explosion wiping out the soldiers. Suddenly, a few soldiers appeared on the roof, shooting arrows at the trio. All three of them got hit with arrows, and they grunted as they began running around trying to avoid the arrows. When they stopped, they suddenly looked up and saw about one hundred soldiers on the rooftops with arrows, their bows all directly pointed at the three.

"Damn it!" Lloyd exclaimed, slamming the ground with his feet.

The enemy soldiers then pulled back on their strings, ready to open fire. Suddenly, a volley of arrows came out of nowhere and hit the enemy soldiers, wiping out about half of them. When the enemy turned around, more arrows came at them and killed more. One soldier, however, still focused on the three and had his bow pointed at Lloyd's head when he wasn't looking. Suddenly, Senel jumped behind him, knocked him to the ground, and threw him down into the alleyway headfirst, the soldier screaming until he crashed and died. The three then looked at Senel.

"Senel! You made it!" Stahn exclaimed, looking relieved.

"Yeah! Sorry I'm late! My unit had to clean up the Eastern Gate and we got caught up! Nanaly's unit is the one who's attacking with the archers, however. The rest of my unit is almost here! I've gotten word from Nanaly that the Western Gate has been secured as well!" Senel explained.

"Which leaves here, the Northern Gate, last..." Kratos remarked.

Senel nodded. "Right! The rest of the army will be here shortly! But for now, we'll have to deal with whoever's left!"

Kratos then turned around, and cast Thunder Blade on another soldier approaching him. Lloyd and Stahn resumed battle positions, and they began running down the alley again, heading to fight more soldiers. As they ran down the alley, they were fired upon by three archers on the roofs. Lloyd and Kratos then immediately deployed their Guardian force fields, while Stahn blocked with his sword. Suddenly, Senel jumped over to the archers and knocked them down into the alley, killing them.

The four then continued running down the alley, or in Senel's case, the roof. Suddenly, the bulk of the enemy army could be seen straight ahead of them as the alley cleared way. Senel then jumped down and used a Rising Phoenix, crashing down on several soldiers. Immediately, the three then rushed in, hacking away at enemy soldiers. Lloyd and Kratos were fighting in close synchronization, their moves either linking into each others or following the other. Meanwhile, Stahn and Senel were fighting their own ways across the battle.

As they battled on, suddenly, they saw allied forces coming from all sides, their weapons drawn. The fighting suddenly stopped as the enemy stopped and looked around them, observing the UFTW soldiers surrounding them. Realizing the situation was hopeless, they dropped their weapons and raised their hands, a sign of surrender.

Kratos smiled. "UFTW forces, the city is ours!"

Cheering ran out through the army as they hailed their capturing of the city, giving praise to their home worlds and celebrating. Kratos then looked up at the sky.

_This is only the beginning...with the bulk of the enemy forces arriving tommorow, it's going to take about three to four months to acquire the continent_._ We're in for one hell of a war here...one that could rival _that_ war..._

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_Rasgon, four hours later..._

Alex was sitting down in a local bar, along with the rest of the Ad Libitum members with him and the generals. Most of them weren't even old enough to drink, but they still wanted to celebrate their victory, so they went to the bar anyway. Alex was currently sitting down at a table with Luke and Reid, Alex currently checking through the vacuum-space sphere, cycling through the items. On the table in front of him walf a half-drinken coffee, still warm. Alex then took a sip from it and placed it down on the table, sighing, looking depressed.

Reid noticed this. "Hmm? Is something wrong, Alex? You don't seem to good."

Alex looked up towards him. "You can tell, huh? Well, you're right. I'm...not exactly looking forward towards tommorow. We'll most likely be attacked by the Pascan forces, and I'm not sure if we can take them on. We've sent for reinforcements to start heading here, but I'm not sure if they'll come here on time. Overall, it's not looking good."

Luke lowered his head. "You're right. But just because we'll be outnumbered doesn't mean we give up! Even if the odds are against us, that doesn't mean we just lie down and die! We need to fight! There are people we fight for! The lives of the entire universe depend on us! Alex, we can't have you, one of the generals, thinking bleakly about the whole situation!"

"I know that! But...but why...why the hell does war have be fought like this! The true conflict in war is between the leaders of the opposing sides! Then why is it that there are soldiers?! If the leaders are the ones with the problems, they should deal with it themselves personally! There's no purpose for war! There's nothing good gained out of it! There's no need for soldiers! Because war is fought like this, too many innocents die! All just because they want to protect their homelands! Too many...too many die! There's no need for this!" Alex exclaimed, his voice growing angry, then he broke into tears at the end, covering his face to hide his tears and sobs.

Luke and Reid stared at Alex in surprise, a little concerned. They knew Alex was opposed to war, but they didn't know he hated it that much.

"Alex..." Reid started.

Alex's body was still rocking with sobs. "Why?! Why is it that the innocents must die! War is worse than hell! What's even worse is when another country invades another without provocation! They're the worst kind! The people are living peacefully, when suddenly, they are all killed mercilessly for no reason! It's because of that...that's when...that's when good people like Mormo died! Why...why did they...WHY THE HELL DID THEY HAVE TO DO THIS?! Tribilin...I'LL...!"

Suddenly, Jade went up from his seat at the bar and grabbed Alex. "That's enough, Alex."

Alex looked at Jade. "But..."

"Enough whining about it. This is not the time or place to be discussing idealogy. Now is not a time of grieving, but of celebration. If you have a problem with it, then I'm going to have to force you outside the bar. Is that clear?" Jade coldly replied.

"Understood, General Curtiss." Alex replied, glaring at Jade. He then got up, walked towards the exit, and left the bar, slamming the door behind him.

"Huh? What was that all about?" Farah wondered aloud.

Jade extended his hand. "Let him go. He has a lot on his mind right now, and I don't think he wants to be bothered."

Everyone then settled down after that, and continued to go on with their drinks and celebration. Jade, on the other hand, was troubled.

_Alex...you're going to have to overcome your hatred of war and fear of killing...at this rate, you'll give up on this war before we even finish the campaign...He'll also have to learn how to set aside these emotions and fight for real...or he could get killed._

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_Outside the bar..._

Alex walked outside, still upset and angry about his thoughts. He stood over by the brick wall of the bar, and angrily pounded his fist into it, causing his gauntlets to clank. Tears still flowed down his eyes, and his teeth were gritten. He then pounded the wall again.

_Damn it! Why are things this way! Why did all of this have to happen!? Things...things didn't have to be this way! For all I know, I could be either living in Ailily or dissapear into nothingness again at the World Tree! Maybe that would be for the best. If the rest of the army didn't have to deal with me, then maybe..._

Suddenly, Alex's thoughts were cut off by a familiar flash of white light. Knowing what it already was, Alex turned around to face Prophet, who was standing there with his arms crossed. Alex sighed.

"What do you want, Prophet? I'm not in the mood for any more of your cryptic warnings or advice. Go away." Alex merely stated, turning his head away.

"This is not a warning or advice, Terresian Descender. We are here to help stop your behavior. If you are left at this state, you will get killed easily. Just because your friend died doesn't mean that..." Prophet started.

Alex snapped at this point. "SHUT UP! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?! ALL YOU ARE IS A DAMN CRYPTIC PERSON WHO COMES AND TELLS ME INDIRECT MESSAGES! I DON'T GIVE A SHIT THAT YOU CAN'T TELL ME DIRECTLY! EVER SINCE YOU SHOWED UP, THINGS HAVE GONE WORSE! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE PAIN OR SUFFERING THAT I FEEL RIGHT NOW! HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW THESE THINGS?! YOU MAKE ME SO DAMN SICK!"

With that, Alex drew his sword. He then ran towards Prophet, ready to strike him, who was strangely not making a move, just standing there. With a loud yell, Alex sliced at Prophet...

The blade merely passed through Prophet, phasing through him like it was nothing, as if Alex were cutting through thin air. Alex's face of rage transformed into that of shock, and he stared right back up at Prophet in surprise.

"Prophet, how...how did my blade pass by you like it was nothing?" Alex asked, confused.

Prophet lowered his head. "...It seems that you now know part of the truth about us. The reason your sword passed through us...is because we have no physical bodies. We lost ours after our deaths, and therefore, are unable to take a physical form."

Alex's eyes grew wide, and he gasped in shock. "No physical bodies...lost after deaths...Prophet...are...are you saying that...you're a ghost?"

"That is correct. We are indeed ghosts. Both of us were murdered through different ways, and after our deaths, our souls united, due to the fact that we were both the same in a certain way. Because of this, however, we cannot appear to you physically, so we must freeze time in order to appear in our form so that we can be seen by you." Prophet explained.

Alex looked surprised. "Souls united? So you're not just one person, but two people in one body? That would explain why you refer to yourself as 'we'."

Prophet nodded. "Right. Our souls were united after death so that we could warn you of the Pascan invasion so that you'd fight back. We have...a special trait in both of us that is important, so we were also united because of this trait."

"You remember your deaths then? Then tell me, who were you two before you died? I'm a little curious. And how were you murdered?" Alex asked.

Prophet shook his head. "We can't tell you that. We have been sworn not to tell you our identities until the proper time. As for our murders, we can't tell you that, because, well...But that's not important. We didn't come here to discuss about how we are a ghost."

"Huh? Wait..." Alex started.

Prophet shook his head. "We're here to put an end to your behavior of the war. If you keep up like this, you're going to eventually run away from the war. You need to stop blaming everything from the past."

"But...if they hadn't..." Alex started.

"That's another thing. You have to stop thinking about what could have happened. We know that you wish none of this had happened either. But you can't change the past. Instead of thinking about what could have happened, you've got to let go of the past and look towards the future. That way, you can make up for what's happened by putting an end to this war." Prophet explained.

"..." Alex was silent, thinking it over.

"We know you can't forget that they killed Mormo. But that doesn't mean you go yelling it at them. And mulling over the idealogy of war doesn't do anything either. Instead, use Mormo's death as a motivation, and go out and defeat the Pascans." Prophet added.

Alex was silent for a few seconds. Finally, he looked up at Prophet, smiling.

"Prophet...thank you. I now know what to do. I no longer need to dwell on the past. I will aim for the future, so that everyone can live peacefully once this war is over. I can't prevent this war for happening, but I can fight to finish it. As for Mormo...I will always remember his death so that I truly have a reason to fight: to kill the ones who killed Mormo and avenge him!" Alex exclaimed.

Prophet nodded. "That's more like it. Now, if that's truly how you feel, you should go back into the bar and celebrate with your fellow comorades. Think you can do that?"

Alex nodded. "I will! By the way, Prophet, I've noticed something. You've been able to speak with me longer than usual right now. Why is that?"

"We don't know. However, we feel that something in the area is helping us stay here longer. Something close by. Maybe even...someone?" Prophet wondered aloud. Suddenly, he began flickering away.

"Thank you, Prophet! I'll never forget what you told me!" Alex exclaimed.

"We'll see each other again at the proper time!" Prophet replied. Suddenly, Prophet faded away, and the flash of time returning to its normal speed occured. Alex then looked towards the moon, smiling.

_Really, Prophet...I'm grateful to you. If you hadn't shown up, I would have been lost in my thoughts about the war. While I still believe what I say, Prophet is right, instead of living in the past and wishing none of this happened, I should just go out there and fight for a better future. I'll always remember today, Prophet...thank you once again._

Suddenly, Luke came outside of the bar, looking until he saw Alex, and Alex returned the glance. "Alex...are you alright?"

Alex gave a smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine now. I'm ready to come back in."

Luke looked relieved at this, and Alex walked over to him, opening the door to the bar. As everyone heard the door opening, everyone looked up at Alex with a strange look on their faces.

Alex lowered his head. "Everyone...forgive me for my outburst a minute ago! I wasn't thinking clearly at the time! I'm sorry, I won't talk like that again! But for now, let's not think like that. Tonight, we celebrate our victory!"

Everyone cheered at this, and the mood in the bar seemed to lighten as they all went back to their drinks. As Alex was heading back to his table, he noticed that Jade was approaching him.

"It seems that you've calmed down a bit, Alex." Jade stated.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Once I got outside, it's like I went through an epiphany when I went outside. I met _him _again, and he helped me realize."

"'Him'?" Jade asked.

"Prophet. He's the man who warned me that the Pascans were going to attack and came up with the plan to gain 600,000 soldiers. When I went outside, he appeared to me, and told me I had to stop thinking about the past and look towards the future, to stop worrying about what could have happened and instead work towards making the future better." Alex explained.

"...I see. And where is this Prophet now?" Jade asked, looking a bit relieved.

"He's not here anymore. He left after our conversation." Alex replied, nervous that Jade might find out he was lying about what Prophet truly was.

"...Well, I'll leave it at that for now." Jade answered, turning back towards the bar table. Luke glanced at Jade and Alex curiously, but then walked back towards the table. Alex too headed back towards the table, filled with feelings of freedom...

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_Twelve hours later..._

Alex and the rest of the army were waiting in the field outside of Rasgon. They knew that the Pascan forces would be coming today, and they knew that while it would be easier to fight in the city, they knew that if they managed to hold them off long enough, they could potentially delay them a day, giving the reinforcements enough time to arrive. They figured that if they at least manage to wound or injure the commander, they could force the Pascans to rest for a day before continuing. Alex nervously figured his sword, a strange feeling over him.

_Damn it...what is this feeling? It's not my nervousness...no, it's something else. It...it feels like...that there's something I should know, yet I don't know. What is it?_

Nervous, Alex took a deep breath. As he breathed out, he felt metal on his chest, and he pulled out the necklace with the sapphire like crystal at the end. Alex held the crystal in his hand, staring at it carefully. A silent small tear came out of his eye as he looked at it, memories flowing through him. After about a minute, Alex placed the crystal back behind his chest, eyes downcast.

Suddenly, the army heard the clanking of metal boots. Looking to the front, they saw thousands of Pascan soldiers marching down from a hill, wielding all sorts of weapons. In the front, leading this force, was none other than Belladonna, who glanced down at the UFTW soldiers, and Alex suddenly realized she was looking directly at him. Behind her helm, a smirk passed by Belladonna's lips. She then sheathed her large sword, pointing down at the UFTW forces.

"Soldiers! Attack the enemy!" Belladonna exclaimed.

The enemy then began running towards the UFTW forces. Alex then drew his sword.

"Scatter out and fight them!" Alex ordered. His soldiers then charged towards the Pascan forces. Quickly looking at them, he realized that most of the Pascans had stronger equipment than the UFTW. Shrugging this off, he ran towards a soldier and slashed at him. The soldier intercepted his slash, and kicked Alex. Alex flipped up in the air, and used Rising Falcon, diving at the enemy with his sword extended, impaling him. Taking out his sword, he slashed one soldier across the back, killing him, and suddenly, he noticed a Burn Strike coming from the air, the jets of flame descending on him. Alex then used Guardian, the bubble shielding him.

Alex then released the bubble, and then ran over to another group of soldiers. As they approached Alex, he used Demonic Chaos, creatingthree shockwaves which he launched at the enemy, hitting them. Suddenly, Alex grunted in pain as he was attacked by an Air Thurst, the wind cutting across his face as he braced himself, having no time to use Guardian.

_Damn...it seems that not only do the Pascans have stronger weapons, it seems that they're also trained in second-level magic. Most of our mages can only cast first level magic. This is going to be rough._

Suddenly, Alex heard a soldier running towards him from behind. Having no time to react, Alex tried to raise his shield, but as the soldier thrusted at him, an arrow went straight through his neck, killing him. Looking towards the direction of the arrow, he saw that Garr had fired the shot, before he then returned to his sword. Alex then used Demonic Thrust on an enemy, first sending out a Demon Fang shockwave and then thrusting through the enemies chest, killing him. Alex ran around some of the enemy and slashed several of them on the way, ready to face the long battle ahead of him...

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_Four hours later..._

The long battle was still raging on, and things were not looking good for the UFTW forces. The Pascans' superior equipment and spells were overwhelming them, and they had lost about three thousand people, while the Pascans had only lost around a thousand. Alex was still cutting down several soldiers with his sword, when suddenly, a small yellow tornado flew towards him. Gasping, Alex barely dodged it in time, looking for the source. A second later, he found it.

Belladonna was standing not too far from him, her sword drawn, which, after a quick examination by Alex, looked like a combination of a longsword and a claymore. Her brown armor was dim in the sunlight, creating a chilling appearance for her. Her helm, which hid her face from the world, glared at Alex seemingly emotionlessly, which freaked out Alex a bit. Looking at the sword again, he realized she had to be pretty strong in order to support the weight of the sword with only one hand.

"Belladonna..." Alex muttered.

Belladonna nodded. "You remembered my name, huh? Well, good...this is a moment I've been waiting for for a while...where I can finally face you in combat, Terresian Descender."

Alex glanced at Belladonna carefully. "Your voice...you're pretty young, huh? Aren't you a bit young to be a general in the military? And wouldn't it be harder for a woman to get into the army in the first place? Think that your army's invicible with all of that strong equipment?"

"As if your one to talk. We're about the same age, and we're both generals. But besides that, ever since I heard of what you did in Terresia, it's been a desire of mine to fight you, Terresian Descender. We're both skilled in the sword, yet we fight in different styles. Let's see which one of us is stronger, shall we?" Belladonna suggested.

Alex gritted his teeth. "Belladonna...one of the three leading generals in Pasca...you helped kill Mormo...you'll pay for that!"

"Who, the Yaoon Descender? I had nothing to do at all with his death. Tribilin did all of that single handly...and to be honest, I was a bit sickened by what Tribilin did to him. But his corpse was extremely helpful in magic development. By studying his and the Gilgulim Descender's bodies, we were able to learn different types of magic for our soldiers to use. That's how we are able to use second level spells. As for our equipment...our 'client' lends them to us. I'm bored of all the talking. Let's fight: the legendary Terresian Descender against the Pascan general Belladonna." Belladonna explained.

Alex then rushed towards Belladonna, who did the same. Before they could meet, a sudden pain ripped through both of their heads. They both kneeled on the ground, grasping their heads, as Belladonna could touch her head from outside her helm without taking it off. They yelled in pain as they felt something strange surge through them.

"This...this pain...it...it feels like...a mana overflow...coming from...the World Tree?" Belladonna muttered.

Alex too felt as if the source of the pain came from the World Tree. He could feel the Tree's mana flowing through him, connected to Belladonna as well as himself. A voice quickly ran through his head, but Alex didn't hear what it said as he was in too much pain. Suddenly, the mana overflow stopped and the pain dissapeared as soon as it had arrived. Alex and Belladonna stood up, and then continued charging at each other, ignoring whatever it was that had just happened to them.

Alex slashed to the right at Belladonna, who quickly used her sword to block the blow. As Alex recoiled from the block, Belladonna thrusted her sword at Alex, who barely used Guardian in time to block it. After the bubble dissapated, Alex swung upwards at Belladonna, who blocked the attack with her gauntlet. Alex looked surprised at this.

_Her...her gauntlet was powerful enough to block the Fencer Sword!_

As Alex jumped back, Belladonna lunged forward. She swung at Alex swiftly, who put up his shield in time. After Alex blocked the blow, Belladonna then suddenly prepared to use a skill.

"Pollen Cyclone!" Belladonna shouted. Suddenly, she grabbed her sword with both hands, spun in a circle and suddenly struck the ground, causing a miniature tornado made of pollen to hit Alex. Alex was blown back by the wind, and his eyes were blinded for a second as he hit the ground. When he got up, Belladonna slashed at him, which he blocked, and Alex quickly used a Demonic Chaos, the three shockwaves hitting Belladonna. As she grunted, she then used another skill at Alex.

"Sakura Storm!" Suddenly, Belladonna jumped in the air, gathered energy into her sword, and released pink energy that fell like petals in a way similar to a blizzard at Alex, who fell down from the attack. Feeling weak, Alex popped a Lemon Gel into his mouth, chewing it and recovering his strength. He then got up and then thrusted his sword at Belladonna, who dodged the attack. She then swung at Alex, who blocked and then jumped up used Rising Falcom, diving towards her. She merely jumped backwards and swung hard at Alex while he was landing, and he quickly threw his shield at her sword, stopping the attack.

Alex then grabbed his shield and then swung again at Belladonna, who blocked again with her gauntlet. She then pushed Alex a few feet away with her gauntlet, and then jumped up and used Sakura Storm again, gathering the energy in her sword. However, this time Alex was prepared, and he ran towards her and used Guardian, blocking the energy. As she landed, Alex used Rending Tiger Blade, jumping up and down while slashing Belladonna at the same time. However, as he jumped for the last time, Belladonna countered.

"Rose Cross!" Belladonna exclaimed. As Alex was in the air, Belladonna slashed upwards, cutting across Alex as he grunted. While Alex was falling, Belladonna cut across Alex horizontally, injuring him again, and as he fell near the ground, Belladonna struck the ground and an energy circle with the shape of a cross in the middle of it, and the energy shot up and hit Alex. As Alex crashed into the ground, he threw another Lemon Gel into his mouth. Alex then rushed at her, and when she swung at him, he dodged it and slashed across her chest. As she recoiled from the blow, Alex then used a Demonic Thrust, hitting her with the shockwave. As he was about to thrust through her chest, Alex heard a voice in his head.

_Do not kill the one clad in brown yet._

Alex was surprised, but listened to the voice and delibrately missed, only scraping across her arm. As she grunted, she used another skill.

"YUNANATE BLAST!" Belladonna exclaimed. She thrusted forward her sword at Alex, and as her sword made contact with Alex's shield, the sword glowed red and caused an explosion. Alex was blown up into the air, but quickly used a backflip and landed safely. As Alex panted, Jade's voice called out.

"Alex, things aren't going very well! As I can see, you've wounded their commander! Let's retreat for now!" Jade exclaimed.

Alex looked around. Jade was right, as the Pascans superior weapons and magic was wearing out the UFTW forces. Alex then glanced at Belladonna, who was panting.

"Huff...huff...heh heh. That was a good fight. But, you should go listen to your friend and retreat. We're both wounded and at a disadvantage right now, neither one of us can fight to our best. Go on, retreat. I promise I won't attack your forces for the rest of the day. We will meet again, Terresian Descender, the one who was reborn to fight in the Terresian-Pascan war." Belladonna stated.

Alex didn't know why, but an inner voice inside him told him that she was telling the truth. Besides, he agreed that he wanted to fight her again, and at full strength. He nodded to Belladonna, and turned towards his forces, and mustered up all of his courage to say what he did next.

"Everyone, retreat! Fall back to Rasgon!" Alex exclaimed.

The UFTW forces heard this, and turned around and started running away, heading back towards the town. Alex turned back, and heard Belladonna issuing commands to let them go, and saw Belladonna staring back at him.

_Our first loss to Pasca, huh? Well, you can't win them all, after all. Still...stronger magic and better equipment...those are problems that we'll have to deal with. Belladonna...what an interesting one she is. For some reason, I feel like there's something special about her...but what? And her last statement..."one who was reborn to fight in the Terresian-Pascan war"...that gives me an idea for what I want my last name to be...yes, I've decided to use it._

_My last name will be...Terresca, a sign of the war between us two countries. Alex Terresca..._

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**How was it? I'm sorry this was late, but I had a very hard week at school and had trouble finding time to work on this chapter! Anyway, here's your character profile update, this time on Belladonna and an update on Alex's**

**Belladonna: Woman, general in Valvus' faction. A true mystery.**

**Age: 17. Hair color: Unknown. Eye color: Unknown. Weapon: Large sword.**

**Voice actor: Bridget Hoffman. Seiyuu (Japanese voice actress): Haruka Kudo.**

**Name origin: "Belladonna" is another word for deadly nightshade, a very poisonous plant.**

**  
Update: Alex's profile.**

**Name: Alex Terresca**

**Seiyuu (Japanese voice actor): Kenichi Suzumura.**

**That's all. Please Read and Review!**


	11. Chapter 10: Reinforced Standstill

Hi to all of you! Final Poke Mario Fan here once again with the next chapter! Let's go and see it now!

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Disclaimer: With the exception if my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Lif

Chapter 10: Reinforced Standstill

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_Rasgon, half-an-hour after the UFTW loss against the Pascans..._

In the town of Rasgon, things were chaotic. Stretchers were being pushed around with wounded soldiers on them, with healers and medics following them. The soldiers scrambled around the town, doing various tasks. Cries of pain echoed the soldiers as the wounded were being brought to the military hospital. Meanwhile, in the town square, in the town hall, Alex and the rest of the availiable generals and Ad Libitum members were gathered around a table, a map of Pasca on the table. They were studying it carefully, talking to each other.

Alex sighed. "Our first loss...well, I guess it can't be helped."

Jade shook his head. "Right. Remember, no matter how many victories an army wins, they are not invincible. Every army has lost at least once, and I know this will definately not be our last loss."

Alex took a sip of his coffee, which was on the table. "True. General Halvun, what's your view on the situation? Do you think it's bad?"

Alex was adressing a senior general, who was in his fifties, and had fought many wars in his world, and was considered to be a seasoned veteran in the group. He had a grey-blonde beard on his chin, and had green eyes. He had a scar on his face, a record of a war long ended. He was very tall as well, about 6'7. Despite his intimidating appearence, he was actually a pretty nice guy.

"Well, I'd say this is not much of a loss as much as a minor setback. While they did defeat us, we wounded their commander and took out some of their army. There's also a lot less soldiers than I thought there would be, though their most likely hiding the bulk of their army scattered around in the various forts, castles and towns around the continent. Therefore, I think we'll be ok for now, but if they strike too hard next time, then we'll be in trouble without reinforcements." General Halvun replied.

"Hmm...well, we have sent for backup. My guess is that they're resting at Fort Binde right now, and they'll be here around noon tommorow." Garr added, looking down at the map closely.

"The enemy is also stationary for the time being. I think that we should spend some of the day building up the defenses of the town while they're resting." Leon suggested.

Alex took another sip of his coffee. "Hmm...not a bad idea, actually. We'll need a lot of firepower if we're going to hold them off from the town. Not just soldiers either. We'll need reinforced gates and perhaps catapults, if we can manage that. Also, perhaps some mages on the upper walls supported by archers would be good too. Problem is their equipment and magic array."

"Right...I noticed that they had stronger equipment than us, plus they did know better spells than our mages." Reid stated.

Raine thought for a second. "Maybe if we can get a sample of their armor, we could figure out what its weaknesses are. There's got to be one somewhere on them..."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. No matter how strong a piece of armor is, its always got a weakness. Whether it's a material problem or a simple weak spot not very reinforced, every piece has got one. We should send someone to retrieve a piece of armor from a...dead soldier and examine it."

Jade nodded, motioning for a soldier. "Right. Sergeant Duloe, go out with a unit of soldiers and retrieve a set of armor from one dead enemy soldier! Hurry so that you don't get killed!"

"Understood, General Curtiss!" Sergeant Duloe replied, saluting and running out of the building. Jade then turned back to the map.

"However, you are right, General Halvun. Unless we get our reinforcements soon, we'll be dead. In that case, we must hold off the town until the reinforcements arrive. Unfortunately, they have probably sent most of the army to guard the rest of the bases, which means that conquering them will take longer than expected. Once we send this unit into retreat again, we'll take the opportunity to take over the other bases, though conquest for each base could take about three days." Jade explained.

Luke noticed something. "But what should we do if reinforcements don't arrive? We've been assuming that they'll come in time, but what will happen if they don't come?"

"Then we'll have no choice but to fight until the end. We're soldiers after all, that's our duty." Jade replied.

"...Fight to the end, huh? That sounds somewhat scary, yet brave at the same time." Alex remarked, stroking his chin.

Jade turned around. "Well, that's how it is. I've decided that we'll take Leon's plan and build up our defenses. Doing nothing in this case would be like deciding to die. Well, that's it. Everyone, move out! We have much work to do and little time! Prepare the defenses now!"

All the generals nodded, and ran out of the building to begin work on the defenses...

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_Pascan camp, two hours later._

Belladonna was sitting down on her bed in her tent. Most of her injuries had been healed up by the healers of the army, but there were a few that would need a little bit more time to heal. She had taken off her armor so that she could heal, replacing it with a simple green tanktop and some brown pants, a bandage on her left shoulder. Despite this, she still wore her helm, having been instructed by Valvus never to take it off unless she was sleeping or bathing. Suddenly, she saw a soldier enter, saluting.

"General Belladonna, we've noticed that the enemy is building up the defenses of Rasgon, placing catapults and reinforcing the gates. Do you wish for us to attack them right now?" The soldier reported.

Belladonna thought for a minute. "...No. We only just fought two hours ago. It would be too rude for us to exhaust our soldiers anymore. Let them rest, and we'll attack in the morning. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" The soldier replied. He saluted, and ran out.

Suddenly, Belladonna sensed something in the room. She sighed and looked into a corner. "I know your watching me with your powers, Darius. You can come out now."

As if on cue, a blue circle suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, with Darius' face on it. He glanced at Belladonna curiously. "Belladonna, what happened to you? You've been injured."

"The Terresian Descender managed to injure me. He's really good at swordsplay...better than I anticipated. It seems like I should have used a bit more force on him. However, something just doesn't feel right about him." Belladonna explained.

"What do you mean?" Darius asked.

Belladonna sighed. "I...I don't know why, but he feels familiar somehow. I feel as if though there's a strange connection between us. Just before we battled, we were both inflicted by mana overflow by the World Tree. There was a voice trying to tell me something, but I couldn't hear it over the pain I was in. I think it may have something to do with our powers."

"You mean your power of mana manipulation?" Darius asked.

Belladonna nodded. "Right. As you know, due to that accident that happened two years ago, I woke up in that abandoned city with no memory, just with the memory of someone telling me I had the power of mana manipulation. Using this power, I can help manipulate the power of mana in an area, depending on the power of that mana.

"Trying to manipulate large amounts of mana, however, is very hard for me, and I felt that during the battle, my power involuntarily manipulated the World Tree. Since the Terresian Descender is a Descender, he is linked to the mana of whatever world he's in, and I feel my power affected him in a strange way which then was turned to me."

Darius scratched his head. "Hmm...that's probably the most likely explanation I can think of. How bad is your wound?"

"Nothing serious. I'll be fine by tomorrow" Belladonna replied.

"Well, that's good. Anyway, the main question I wanted to ask you was how the battle went." Darius explained.

Belladonna nodded. "Right. Anyway, we won the battle. The enemy met us out on the field and we battled for about four hours. At the end, the enemy ordered a retreat and they fled from the battlefield. We had less casualties than usual, which I think is thanks to the armor that our 'client' lent us. We're currently resting up today, and we're planning on attacking Rasgon in the morning. That's basically it. How are things down south?"

Darius looked over to his right, telling something to a soldier, then looked back. "Things are ok. We've been busy getting prepared for the 'UFTW' forces to come and attack us. Tribilin is as excited as always...no, actually, he's been laughing to himself for days, talking about how he can't wait to slaughter the enemy. But then again, it's typical Tribilin."

Belladonna sighed. "Man...I'll never understand Tribilin. Even after two years with him, I still don't get him. At least he's good at his work in war, and that's all that really matters at the moment."

Darius nodded. "True. Well, that's all I need to talk to you about. I'll see you later, Belladonna."

"See you soon, Darius. If we lose this next battle, I'm going to head down to the Trabadian Desert in order to protect it. We'll probably meet up after that, but we'll be scattered around for a while. Take care." Belladonna replied.

Darius then nodded, and the blue circle disappeared. Belladonna sighed again, and took out her sketching pad and pencil, ready to draw another picture again, her eyes troubled.

"That image I saw during the mana overflow...what was it?"

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_Rasgon, bar, several hours later..._

It was about ten o'clock, the bar still bright at the hour. After a long day of hard work, Alex and the others were finishing the day by playing a game of cards and having a drink of beer (or coffee, in Alex's and several other's cases.) As Alex held his cards up, he looked down, and sighed. He had not expected it, but Leon was an _incredibly _good poker player. With his emotionless face hanging around all of the time, Leon had the ultimate poker face. Raine, unfortunately, happened to have the worst luck ever, and she tearfully glanced at the few chips she had left, looking at Leon's giant pile. As Raine nervously bet all in, and placed her cards, Garr then countered with his own hands, beating out Raine's, and Raine sobbed as all her chips were taken.

Garr, on the other hand, was also doing fairly well, having a decent pile about two-thirds the size of Leon's. Luke was doing ok, but not enough to be considered a threat in the game. Reid was doing poorly, while Farah was in fourth at the moment with a small pile. Jade was currently in third, with a slightly smaller pile than Garr. Arche, strangely, had collapsed after drinking too much alcohol, occasionally moaning something about Cless (A/N: People who've played Phantasia before should know what I'm talking about). Alex wasn't doing to good, as he was doing worse than Reid. He sighed and looked at his cards.

Alex took a sip of his coffee. He then sighed and pushed all his chips in. "All in." He then looked at his cards, an Ace and a Queen. He then placed his cards down.

Leon then countered, flipping up his cards, which proved to beat Alex's hand. "Sorry, but you lose, Alex."

Alex sighed, and gave all of his chips to Leon, sitting back. "Sigh...well, I'm not that good at poker anyway."

"Then why did you play it?" Garr asked, checking his cards.

Alex just shrugged. "No real reason. Just something to pass the time while we wait for tomorrow."

"Right...the next battle...think we'll lose this one again?" Reid remarked.

"Reid! You don't have to think about it so negatively!" Farah exclaimed, and annoyed look on her face.

Alex shook his head. "No, it's alright. Anyway, the whole outcome of our victory lies in the hands of our reinforcements. If they can get here in time, we can still win this battle. If they don't get here in time, then chances of us winning are slim."

"Huh? Is that true, Jade?" Luke asked.

Jade shrugged. "Yes, it's true. The situation has changed in a few hours. The enemy army is healing faster than expected, and according to the piece of armor some of our soldiers retrieved from the enemy, that armor's weak point is still guarded well."

"What is the enemy armor's weak point?" Leon asked.

"It's just below the arm. However, there's a piece of reinforced armor there, meaning that you need to hit the arm at a certain angle in order to actually hit it, meaning that finding the weak point of the armor. I must say that the Pascans are very good at developing their own armor, thinking out a reinforcement for their weak point." Jade explained.

"The armor? The Pascans actually didn't create that piece of armor." Alex replied.

Jade looked at Alex curiously. "What do you mean, Alex?"

"As you might know, I fought Belladonna today in the battle. It ended in a stalemate as we were forced to retreat, but she told me before the battle that their 'client' loaned them the armor after creating it. Therefore, they did not make the armor themselves, but rather a third party made it." Alex answered.

"Someone made it for them? Wait...that means that..." Luke started.

Alex nodded. "Bingo. The Pascans are being backed up by a mysterious third party, whom they refer to as their client. Since they said 'client', I believe that this third party is either made up of supporters of Pasca, they were hired by Pasca, or possibly even...threatened by Pasca. Judging that they're a third party, I also believe that they're from another world."

"A...another world? But how's that possible? I thought that you said that when you attacked the leader of the Pascan forces on top of Gilgulim, you damaged his arm so badly that he could never create portals again." Luke asked again.

"Well...maybe they accidentally created an incomplete portal to the other world like they did with Gilgulim. Since incomplete portals stay there permanently, it's possible that they did it in order for their client to be able to give them their armor, right? At least, I think that it's the most likely reason...I could be wrong, though." Alex replied.

"Well, it does make sense. I think that it's safe to assume that you're right in this case." Garr added, looking down at the table.

Jade took another sip of his beer. "One can only assume. Still...I didn't expect that there would be a third party...this will make things more difficult. We need to determine who it is, and defeat them. Alex, do you think you can warp us to the third party?"

Alex shook his head. "Sorry...I can only teleport to places I've already been to before, or something I'm seeing right in front of my eyes. If I could teleport to a place I'd never been to before, I'd teleport us to Lavard and end this war immediately. But, that's just one thing I can't handle. Sorry again, guys."

"It's alright. There's no need to apologize for something you can't do." Garr replied.

Alex smiled. "Thanks."

Suddenly, Arche moaned in her alcohol-induced sleep. "Cless...you naughty thing..."

All of them stared at Arche with a strange look on their face, all of them with the same thought.

_What the hell is that girl dreaming about?_

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_Lavard Castle, two hours ago..._

Valvus was sitting in his chambers, looking at a familiar blue circle in the middle of the room. Darius was staring out of the other end, talking to Valvus, his eyes vright in the blue light.

"...and that was Belladonna's report. I think now would be a good time to talk to Mithos...shall I change the connection so that we can communicate with him?" Darius asked.

Valvus thought for a second, then nodded. "Yes, that would be a good idea. Change the image to him and transfer it to me."

"Understood, Master Valvus." Darius replied. As Valvus looked up, he saw the blue circle was flickering, a static like sound coming from it as the view was changing. Finally, the image of a very annoyed looking Mithos, still in his Yggdrasil form, staring down at him, a scowl on his face as the sound of clanking metal was heard in the backround.

_"What the hell do you want, pathetic human? Haven't you already tortured me enough with your constant requests? Now that your invasion has turned into war, I've already been forced by you into making armor for your army, what else do you want me to do?"_ Mithos asked angrily.

Valvus sighed. "Quit overreacting, Mithos. We're merely here to give you a report that thanks to the armor that you made for us, we won a battle because of how good it is. Therefore, we need your group to make many more pieces of armor that will cover our entire army, which means that you'll have to make...oh, about 700,000 pieces of armor."

_"You've got to be kidding me. 700,000 pieces of armor? That's going to take way too long! We can't produce that much armor made of the same material!" Mithos exclaimed._

Valvus then held up the remote once again. "Have you forgotten about this? Remember that your sister's 'life' is depending on your cooperation with us. And besides, the people who make the pieces of armor are nothing more than 'lifeless beings', remember? They have basically no emotions, and they won't question what you order them to do or hesitate to perform your orders."

Mithos grunted as usual. _"Hmph...think you can keep me as your little puppet, huh? Well, I'll tell you this: once this so-called 'partnership' is over and Martel is revived, I swear I'll go after you. Mark my words, I _will_ kill you without mercy. Just you wait, Valvus. You'll see what I mean after everything is done..."_

Valvus laughed. "Keep telling yourself that, Mithos. Remember that if we could beat you once, we could beat you again. Even after this is over and your sister is back, you still won't be able to beat us."

_"We'll see, Valvus...we'll see. By the way, what have you done with the lifeless beings I've allowed you to have?"_ Mithos asked.

"We've assigned them into a special division in the army, where they are the only one who fight in it. We've seen what they can do, so we'll make use of them as best as we can." Valvus replied.

_"Hmph. Is that all?"_ Mithos asked.

Valvus nodded. "It is. Darius, cut the link off from Mithos."

After he said that, the image of Mithos began to dissapear and filled with a static like screen. Once the static had cleared, Darius' face reappeared, staring back at Valvus.

"You know, Valvus, while Tribilin is the best at pushing Mithos around, you are a great liar to Mithos. Like just now, when you lied to him about the lifeless beings, you showed no signs of lying." Darius commented.

Valvus smirked. "Yes, well, it was necessary. If Mithos actually knew about what we are really doing with the lifeless beings, he would try to stop any attempts at supporting us."

"Then it's probably best to keep him in the dark for now. No, strike that...not just for now, but for good." Darius replied.

Valvus nodded. "Of course. I've been sending some archaelogical groups around Pasca in order to find the third. If by any chance you hear word of any of them having found the third one, inform me immediately. We'll send a ship to that archaelogical team in order to recover them and the third one. Is that clear, General Darius?"

"I understand, Master Valvus. I'll inform you if anything comes up. By the way, did you get my letter?" Darius replied.

"Yes, I did. That is indeed a troubling matter, though it sounds like she hasn't shown too many major signs yet. Did she mention anything strange in her report?" Valvus asked.

"Nothing really, although when she battled the Terresian Descender, she said her mana manipulation may have been involutarily used on the World Tree, as both of them experienced a mana overflow from the World Tree, but other than that, she has displayed no signs." Darius explained.

"I see. Well, it doesn't sound too serious now, but I want you to keep an eye Belladonna. If she even displays some slight signs of it, contact me again. Do you understand this again, General Darius?" Valvus replied.

"Yes sir. I will cut the link now, as that's all I have to report." Darius concluded, and the blue circle dissapeared.

Valvus sighed. "Indeed, it will be a major problem if that happens to her. If it does, we'll be one general short, or we'll have no choice but to kill her. It's regrettable, but we won't have a choice."

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_Fort Binde, four o'clock in the morning..._

In the wooden fort, the watch was out late, looking out for any Pascan forces who would attack, though most of the attacking force had spread out to southern part of Granvoise. Their bows and arrows at their sides, they knew they had to watch the fort extremely carefully, as about half of the fort was about to leave in order to support Lieutenant General Curtiss' unit in Rasgon. Down in the fort, everyone was getting ready.

Down in the front halls of Fort Binde, everyone was getting ready. Soldiers were walking outside the fort, getting into formation to march to Rasgon. Generals were heading down into the front lines in order to get ready. Among the soldiers getting ready were Lieutenant Chester Barklight, Sergeant Rutee Katret, Captain Johnny Shiden, and Lieutenant Veigue Lungberg. The general in charge of the operation was General Yaciel, a general from another world like General Halvun. As everyone was getting sorted, the four Ad Libitum members were conversing amongst each other.

"Are they _that _desperate for reinforcements! I mean, it's four o'clock! They're soldiers, they're supposed to take care of themselves! So why the hell do we have to wake up so early!?" Rutee moaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, I'm not sure if it's true, but I overheard General Yaciel and Colonel Bisez talking to each other last night about General Curtiss' unit in the town south of us, apparently called Rasgon. According to the messenger who arrived yesterday, General Curtiss' unit was defeated outside of the town. They managed to retreat, but they are now basically stuck in the town, and are pinned down by the Pascans, who will probably try to attack again soon." Johnny explained.

"Damn it! Things don't look good right now." Chester exclaimed.

"...Indeed. If we don't get there in time, General Curtiss' unit will undoubtly be wiped out. Therefore, we have woken early in order to save them from their defeat." Veigue replied.

"...Ok, so you've got a point. But still...four o'clock! I've never woken up that early in the morning before!" Rutee exclaimed.

Chester sighed. "Then shut up and take it like a man...er, woman."

Rutee snapped at this point. "WHAT WAS THAT, YOU LITTLE SHITBAG?!"

Johnny turned away, sighing. "Sigh...what an interesting start to today."

Suddenly, General Yaciel walked up to the front, ending Rutee's assault on Chester. He was also a tall man, about 6'3. He had reddish brown hair and "Is everyone ready? Good. Allow to give you a quick mission briefing."

"As you all know, we are acting as backup for General Curtiss' unit in the town down south, named Rasgon. They lost to the Pascan forces yesterday, but they still managed to keep a hold on the town. However, the Pascans have surrounded the town, leaving the unit boxed in. Now, our mission is too get to Rasgon and safely defend them from the Pascans. This is a vital mission to the war, we must succeed! Is that clear?" General Yaciel explained.

"YES SIR!" The whole army replied.

"Then let's go! We head south to Rasgon!" General Yaciel exclaimed.

The whole army then cheered, then began the march, heading off to save their comrades who were in a desperate state right now...

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_Rasgon, four hours later..._

It was quiet. Too quiet, in fact. The UFTW army was standing on the high walls of Rasgon, waiting for the enemy. They had evacuated the residents of the town a few hours ago, bringing them into shelters they had found under the town, worried that they would be scared from the third battle in a row in the range of the town. Catapults were now stationed on the walls, though the soldiers didn't have much ammo. Archers were also in position, their bows ready and their quivers full, anticipating the enemies move. Mages were also in position, though they knew the enemy had stronger mages, but they had Jade, an experienced mage.

The bottom of the town was also in position. The gates were locked and reinforced, with the foot soldiers were in position. Alex stood there in silence, right hand on the hilt of his sword, ready for combat. Beside him was Luke and Leon, who also were readying their weapons. The silence still stood in the town, anticipation, nervousness, and fear in the hearts of all of the soldiers, wondering if today, would see the end of their lives.

Suddenly, a soldier noticed something, and turned to the rest of the army. "They're coming!"

Everyone then suddenly went from silent to alert. Everyone drew their weapons, the sound of steel filling the town. The mages began charging up, and the archers got their first volley ready. Soldiers were preparing the catapult, placing some boulders that Alex had managed to transport there using his ability to create portals. Everyone else got ready, waiting for Jade's commands. Finally, after about a minute, Jade shouted.

"FIRE!"

As if on cue, all of the archers immediately released there arrows, the mages shot out their spells, and the catapult was released. As soon as they were released, several soldiers were hit by the arrows and fell over, dead. As if it were a reflex, the enemy army then retaliated, firing of their own set of spells and arrows, killing of some of the wall units. A few seconds later, the UFTW forces countered again with their arrows, spells, and catapults, crashing into several of the enemy soldiers, killing them.

And so, for the next ten to twenty minutes, the process repeated, with the armies trading spells and arrow collections against each other, with the Pascans still advancing. Alex was still standing at the gates of the town, still waiting silently. Suddenly, he gasped as he heard and felt the gate shake, something ramming into it. All of the other soldiers gasped as well. Remembering his position in the army, Alex took command.

"Keep the gate! Don't let them through! If they do, we have no choice but to fight in the town! Barricade the gate with your own hands if necessary!" Alex ordered, running up.

Everyone nodded, and ran against the door, placing their bodies against it. A few seconds later, a second shockwave rocked the gate, knocking some soldiers down from the impact. Despite this, they kept themselves pressed against the door, knowing they had to hold the gate for as long as possible. As they kept on pushing against the gate, the third shockwave hit the gate, causing a small crack to appear against it. Everyone still kept themselves there, though they were slipping. Finally, after about five minutes, the Pascans broke the gate down, knocking the soldiers back.

Alex then immediately ran forward, his sword drawn. As soon as the Pascan forces began pouring in, he launched into battle, slashing across one soldier's chest. Three more soldiers approached him, and Alex, remembering Jade's words, thrust his sword under a soldier's arm, which killed him instantly. He then pulled out his sword and slashed at a few more soldiers, killing them. As more soldiers charged in, Alex jumped up and used a Rising Falcon, diving down and piling through the line of soldiers.

As he paused to recover from the dive, a soldier approached him. Alex then grabbed his shield and threw it at the soldier, breaking his neck, killing him. Alex then grabbed his shield and then thrust his sword at another soldier. As he turned around, he saw even more soldiers coming, and Alex then used Omega Tempest, causing him to launch forward in the air, land next to the soldier, and then jumped up with his sword spinning, cutting apart the soldiers. When he landed, he then followed up with a Victory Light Spear, spinning up in the air and then performing a spin in the air, killing the soldiers who went up with him.

When Alex landed, he then ran to the left to avoid the volley of arrows that were being fired down by the UFTW soldiers. Seconds later, a Burn Strike suddenly hit the walls, killing several of the archers. Alex then ran forward, and then slashed through more soldiers, picking them off easily. He then used a Demonic Chaos on the closest soldiers he could see, launching off the three shockwaves that hit his targets. Alex ran towards the gate again and used Demon Spiral Hammer, jumping up and slashing a soldier with a few hits, then going downward, striking one more time.

Alex ran back, heading towards the outer part of the battle so he could check his targets. He then jumped and performed Rising Falcon again, diving through more soldiers. Many more Pascan soldiers filed in, and Alex used Tiger Rage, jumping up and cutting through an enemy soldier. Once he was on the ground, he then decided to head a little deeper into the town, as the battle was getting bigger...

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_Rasgon, two hours later..._

The battle was still raging on, with the UFTW in an even worse position than yesterday. The Pascans had surrounded the town, preventing retreat, and the Pascans had gained some ground in the town, which lead to the UFTW forces close to being cornered, and they were close to surrendering, as the UFTW was being pushed farther down the town. Alex was currently in the plaza, fighting off another soldier as he grunted, having suffered several injuries in the battle. As he finished off the soldier, he heard a familiar voice.

"Terresian Descender! Come here in the plaza!" Belladonna's voice rang out.

Alex, recognizing Belladonna's voice, ran into the plaza. Belladonna was standing in the middle of the plaza, her sword clutched in her right hand. She stared at Alex emotionlessly as the two stared off.

"Terresian Descender...as you can see, your army has no chance of survival. We outnumber your forces, and you're all close to being cornered in the plaza here. There is no hope of any success for you now. So, before you all die, I would like to have one final battle with you here. Let's see again which one of us is the better swordsman. There is no chance of retreat now, meaning that you can't back away from this. What do you say?" Belladonna proposed.

Alex looked up. "Your right. I don't have a chance of winning this battle by fighting back. Therefore, as my last act, I will defeat you, Belladonna!"

"Very well. Bring it on!" Belladonna exclaimed.

Alex charged towards Belladonna. He began by using a Tempest, flying over Belladonna's head, but as he landed on the other side of her, she thrusted her sword at him, and Alex managed to block it with his shield. As they recovered from that, Alex swung downwards at Belladonna, who blocked it with her gauntlet, and then knocked him down with her sword, as Alex grunted as he was cut by the large weapon. He got up, and parried a blow that Belladonna swung at him. He then quickly used a single Demon Fang, and the shockwave that hit Belladonna was weak, but stilled caught her off guard.

Alex then used Rising Falcon, jumping up and diving at Belladonna. She jumped backwards, avoiding it, and Alex moved his shield to cover his back, barely blocking her swing. He then walked a bit to the right, and then swung at Belladonna's knees, and she blocked it by swing across her legs, and she then pushed Alex back, him being on the ground again. She then ran up, and she performed a skill.

"Nightshade Raid!" Belladonna exclaimed. She jumped up in the air, grabbed her sword with both hands, and slashed at Alex's arm, him grunting as he was slashed. He suddenly felt a little sick, and realized that the attack was poisonous. Quickly, he reached into his vaccuum-space-sphere and pulled out a Panacea Bottle, drinking it quickly, and he breathed in relief as he felt the poison being purged from his system. Belladonna then swung again, and Alex blocked with his shield, leaving her off-guard, thrusting his sword at her side, her grunting as she was hit.

Alex then jumped back, and he then used a Demonic Chaos, launching three shockwaves at Belladonna. Belladonna then countered by striking all three shockwaves with her sword, stopping them. She then jumped to the side and lunged forward, sword ready to thrust. Alex suddenly noticed the tip of the sword growing red, and after remembering what that was, rolled to the side to barely avoid the blade, the explosion never happening. Alex then got up and used a Victory Light Spear, dragging Belladonna up into the air, but she then punched him in the face, causing him to be stunned.

As Alex and Belladonna landed, both of them jumped forward, hitting each other's swords at the same time. Alex then kicked Belladonna in the stomach, which momentarily stopped her, but she then swung downwards, knocking Alex in the air, his sword flying up. Alex grabbed his sword and then used and upside-down Rising Falcon, surprising Belladonna. As he approached, she countered the attack with a skill of her own.

"Lily Cleave!" Belladonna exclaimed. She held her sword back like a baseball bat, and then, with all her might, she swung the sword at Alex. Alex then quickly brought both his sword and shield to his side, and they took most of the blow's impact, though it still sent Alex crashing towards the ground again, as he crashed and slid on the ground. He then jumped up, ate a Lemon Gel, and ran towards Belladonna. She swung her sword at him, but he used his strength with his sword to hit the sword hard, and when Belladonna recovered from the recoil, he performed Demon Spiral Hammer, hitting Belladonna up in the air a few times. When she landed, Alex then used Rending Tiger Blade, thrusting at Belladonna a couple of times, then swinging up and down.

While Belladonna fell back, Alex then swung at her, but she blocked with her gauntlet again, and swung down at Alex. He then pushed his shield up to block the blow, then attempted to strike Belladonna, who blocked the attack with her sword at the last moment. She jumped back, and performed a Pollen Cyclone, spinning around and launching the yellow tornado. Alex was prepared, and used Guardian just as the tornado was about to hit, negating any damage from the attack while the green bubble kept him safe. As it dissapeared, Alex then swung at Belladonna to block a blow she swung at him.

Alex then thrusted his sword at Belladonna, who swung downwards with so much force that his sword launched up into the air. Belladonna then took this opportunity to swing at Alex, but he blocked with his shield and caught his sword, slashing her in the right shoulder, causing her to grunt. She then lunged at him again, and he used Victory Light Spear again, jumping up into the air, avoiding the lunge as he then landed as he blocked another sword swing. He then swung at Belladonna as she blocked again, pushing him backwards.

"Huff...huff...you're a good...no, great swordsman. This battle is even better than yesterday's!" Belladonna exclaimed.

"And you...you're pretty good too. Despite that large sword, you attack so quickly with it! You have a good form and your techniques are good as well." Alex replied, smiling.

"Very good. Then shall we finish this?" Belladonna asked.

Alex nodded, and lunged forward at Belladonna. She swung in a 90 degree angle, blocking Alex's sword. Alex then used another Demonic Chaos on her, which she jumped over, passing over each shockwave like it was nothing. As they were about to continue, they suddenly noticed a large commotion going on and soldiers running everywhere, Pascans especially. Both generals looked with confusion, and a Pascan soldier passed by.

"Soldier? What's going on?" Belladonna asked.

"General Belladonna, you must run! Just now, many enemy soldiers suddenly appeared from outside! They outnumber us and took out the outside forces easily! They're probably enemy reinforcements!" The soldier explained.

"Damn it! We have no choice. We flee to Arcos, the we head for the Trabadian Desert! Retreat!" Belladonna ordered. She looked at Alex one more time.

"Terresian Descender...once again, it seems we are at a draw. Our duel ends for now, but we'll pick it up again when we next meet! Don't forget it, as I look forward to that time!" Belladonna exclaimed. She then turned around, and began running towards the gate, fleeing with speed.

Alex then took a deep breath and lowered his swords, the Pascans retreating. As he was panting, he was internally relieved.

_They...the reinforcements...got here in time! Man, if they had gotten here an hour later, we would have been dead! It must be that luck is on our side today!_

As he continued panting, he suddenly noticed Luke run into the plaza. He noticed Alex, and ran over to him.

"Alex, are you ok?" Luke asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just caught up in a long sword duel, and I'm just recovering my breath. Is it true that the reinforcements are here?"

"Yeah, they got here just a few minutes ago. They quickly wiped out the Pascans outside, and they poured into the city, causing the Pascans to retreat. But still...that was _too _close." Luke replied.

Alex nodded, and suddenly, the rest of the Ad Libitum members with Jade poured in, and he saw the reinforcements run in, Johnny, Chester, Rutee and Veigue running in. They all sighed in relief as they noticed that everyone was ok.

Jade then walked forward, turning to General Yaciel, who was in the front of the reinforcements. "General Yaciel, thank you for getting here in time. If it had been a little sooner, you would have been too late. Thank you."

General Yaciel nodded. "Your welcome, General Curtiss. We're currently going to run a check through this town. Do you have any information where the enemy is headed to?"

Alex stepped forward. "I do. I heard the lead general of the attacking Pascan unit, General Belladonna, mention that they were retreating to Arcos, then heading off to the Trabadian Desert."

"Hmm...well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. We need to check up on everyone, so by the time we're ready, it'll be too late to pursue them. But enough of that for now." General Yaciel replied.

Alex then noticed the surviving UFTW units in the town pour in. Alex then smiled, then spoke up.

"UFTW forces, we have successfully defended the city with the help of the reinforcements. Rasgon is ours, and so is victory!" Alex exclaimed.

Everyone then began cheering, chanting for the UFTW and feelings of relief around everyone. Inside, however, Alex couldn't help but worry.

_That still was way too close. If we had screwed up, it would have been all over. Pasca has demonstrated the power of their army...how much more power will they display during the rest of the war?  
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**Hi everyone, how was it? I tried to make it a bit more lightheartened than the last few chapters, as I felt they were a bit too serious. And it's finally chapter 10! Woohoo! 10 chapters down, about 50-55 more to go! Oh, and in some game related news, the game will be delayed for a while because I have learned that a new version of RPG Maker will be out in a few months, so I'm waiting to use that. Anyway, here's Prophet's profile.**

**Prophet: An enigmatic man who appeared to Alex. Refers to himself as 'we', he is two people in one body, since they're dead.**

**Age: Unknown (They're dead). Hair color: Unknown. Eye color: Unknown. Weapon: None.**

**Voice actors: Patrick Seitz (deep voice) R. Martin Klein (high-pitched voice) **

**Seiyuus (Japanese voice actors): Toshiyuki Morikawa (deep voice) Daisuke Sakaguchi (high-pitch voice).**

**Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it, now PLEASE REVIEW! Goodbye for now!**


	12. Chapter 11: Stealth Operation

Hello to everyone! Final Poke Mario Fan is here as usual with his story update! Let's all read now!

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 11: Stealth Operation

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_After a long three day stand, the UFTW forces successfully captured the town of Rasgon over three battles. The first battle, which took place between the UFTW forces lead by General Curtiss, and the defending force at Rasgon. The second battle, which took place the next day outside of the town limits, was between General Curtiss' army and the attacking force directly from Lavard, according to reports. UFTW forces lost the battle, but they managed to stall the Pascan forces. The third and final battle took place the next day, where the Pascans attacked the UFTW forces in Rasgon, but were driven out at the last minute due to UFTW reinforcements._

_During the second and third battles, the Terresian Descender, a Brigadier General apparently named 'Alex Terresca', as he was adressed throughout the battle as 'Alex' and 'General Terresca', and Pascan General Belladonna, leader of the Fourth Division of Pasca, engaged in combat. Both battles were ended abruptly by the UFTW retreat on the second day and the Pascan retreat the third day._

_According to General Belladonna, she said that she and the Terresian Descender both went through a mana overflow from the World Tree just before their first battle. This, along with a sketch given to me by General Belladonna, is indication that her state, codenamed "State Jemummu Recovery" is showing indications of resurfacing. This we can't let happen, and orders from Master Valvus have stated that we must keep a close eye on General Belladonna. _

_If "State Jemummu Recovery" surfaces fully, then General Belladonna's life is ordered terminated. If she resists and proves to much to defeat, Master Valvus has granted full permission to use the Death Bell to order the Silver Knights to come in to exterminate the target. This is a situation we want to avoid, so keeping General Belladonna away from any of the "Ad Libitum" members, is a number one priority, as we cannot risk "State Jemummu Recovery" from happening, or General Belladonna will most likely go AWOL. That is all._

_A note: Names and pictures of the "Ad Libitum" members are enclosed along with this document_

_-General Darius, Orders to deal with Belladonna_

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_Ten days after the Battle of Rasgon, unknown fort..._

Alex was sitting down in the mess hall of a fort, Fort Nasir. He was currently eating some rice and some ham. He then bit into the ham, the juicy flavor oozing through his taste buds. He then took a sip of his coffee, placing it back down on the table. The fort was filled with thousands of soldiers, all eating, though several soldiers were recovering in the medical room. He sighed, thinking.

_Damn...the enemy's pretty good. They've managed to hold us off for the last week easily without problem, and we haven't even gotten through the fort yet! Three battles...you think we would have gotten through them by now, but...they've got state-of-the-art defense set up...like those catapults that fire explosions...or those new bows that they have...even their weapons are good...and they're fast with magic. Hell, none of those battles even lasted an hour! If we could..._

Suddenly, Chester approached Alex, and sat down next to him, facing Alex. Alex and Chester had become closer friends during the past ten days, and Alex considered him to be one of his best friends, if he had to pick a few. They had spent the past few days mainly talking to each other, exchanging stories of their adventures. However, Chester looked serious right now. Jade then walked up behind him, his face looking serious as well.

Alex looked at the two with a puzzled look. "Is...is something wrong, you two? You look serious."

Jade pressed his glasses up to his nose, taking a deep breath. "Alex. Your prescence is required in the strategy room. We're having a meeting right now, as we've developed a plan that will disable the enemy's defense systems, and we need you in there."

"Huh? You guys came up with a plan to stop the enemy defenses? Really?" Alex replied, surprised, though in a good way.

"Well...Leon's actually the one who came up with the plan. But that's not important right now. What's important now is that you come to the meeting as well, because you especially are needed." Chester answered.

Alex looked a bit confused. "Me? Wait...is it because I'm a Brigadier General?"

Jade shook his head. "Not exactly. Come with us to the strategy room, and you'll know."

Alex looked at Jade strangely, but he shrugged, and got up, taking his food with him on a tray. He then walked out of the mess hall into the stone halls of Fort Nasir. He then walked with Chester and Jade through the end of the hall, where a staircase lay. They climbed the staircase carefully, the torches illuminating it and the dark halls of the fort. When they reached the top, they walked through the hallway to a door four to the left. They opened it, and walked inside.

In the room were the generals and Ad Libitum members, all gathered around a long wooden table. They all glanced up at the three when they walked through the door, and they took their seats. When they sat down, Jade cleared his throat, everyone else silent as they waited for Jade to speak. He pressed his glasses to his nose, and began speaking.

"Now that we're all seated and ready, we can continue with the meeting. As most of you have heard, Leon has come up with a plan to disable the enemies' defense systems. It's a risky one, but if it's pulled correctly, we just might be able to get it to work. Now, Leon, explain the plan you devised to us." Jade explained, glanicing over at Leon.

Leon looked up. "...Several days ago, we captured a Pascan messanger off to deliver a message to the enemy fortress we are trying to capture, Fort Harnet. He had a message with him, but a look-over at it proved that it was nothing too big. We took the messagers' clothes and equipment, and we have imprisioned him in the dungeon. Now, Fort Harnet has not gotten this message yet, and they are still expecting it right now. This is where we have an oppurtunity to strike, as I'll explain in a minute."

"It's currently 7:00 P.M. Granvoise A time according to a clock. Our plan will be simple. In three hours, at 10:00 P.M., we will send someone dressed up as the messenger with the message to head over to Fort Harnet. The person should arrive at the fort in the hour, and the guards will come up and the person will present the message. They will most likely invite you to stay for the night at the fort, since it's late. When the person is alone, he will go in and disable the catapults and ruin the bows. To disable the catapults, the sling and the launcher will be severed, and a special device will be planted in the armory."

"This special device is triggered to go off in the building at exactly 1:00 A.M. It is a device that will create a small, artificial explosion using a spell that has been planted in the device. Once it goes off, it should damage much of the equipment. Now, as for the person in mind for the operation, we've already selected the person." Leon explained.

"Really? That fast? So, who is the person who will be used in the operation?" Alex asked.

Leon shifted his head. "Alex. You will be the one who will pretend to be the messenger and sabatoge the enemies' defense systems. In other words, you will be the one used in the operation."

Alex was in shock, eyes a bit wide. "W...what? M...me? Why? I'm not the stealthiest person in the army? There are much better choices than me! I'm not qualified for this kind of stealth mission! So why me?"

"It's because of your teleportation skills. Because you have the ability to create portals to places you've been to before, in case you are caught or succeed in the mission, you can warp back here quickly, preventing you from taking to much time. If the operation is a failure, you can return back here to report. You are to then report on what you have done, and then give us a possible description of the base. Is that clear? You'll be used in the operation." Leon replied.

Alex glared at Leon. "What the hell do you mean?! I know that, but I can't do it! Besides, Leon, you are only a Major. I am a Brigadier General, and therefore, you have no authorization to tell me what to..."

"_I _have authorized it." Jade simply replied.

Alex look surprised at Jade. "Jade?"

"Leon has made a very good point. If anyone else tries this operation and fails, it's highly unlikely that they'll come back here alive. You, on the other hand, have a much higher success rate since you can teleport. Despite the fact that while your stealth skills may not be the best for this job, you have an easy escape plan. Is that clear, General Terresca?" Jade answered.

Alex sighed in defeat, knowing Jade was right. "Understood, General Curtiss."

General Halvun then cleared his throat. "Now that the person for the operation has been chosen, let's go over the basis of the plan one last time. General Terresca, disguised as a Pascan messenger, will go to Fort Harnet. When he gives the message and is invited to stay over for the night, he will quickly go up to the top floor in the inner walls. He will then disable the catapults, then head to the armory and place the device in the room. Then, he will escape by creating a portal back here. This mission is one manned only, therefore we can't send any backup."

Raine then took out a package, and slid it down the table towards Alex. "Take this. This is the device that we'll be using to create the explosion. When you place it down, all you have to do is to hit this switch on it, and the timer will tick down, set to go off at 1:00 A.M."

Alex nodded. "Got it."

Jade then stood up. "Well, that concludes the meeting. The operation begins in three hours, so get ready. On, and one more thing Alex."

"What?" Alex asked.

"Drink _lots_ of caffeine. The last thing we need is you falling asleep on the way there and getting killed, and my bones ache too much to go out there and save you." Jade stated.

"...It really _is_ impossible to tell what you're thinking." Alex sighed.

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_Three hours later..._

Alex stood out in the front of the fort, nervousness flowing through him. He had swapped his Fencer equipment for the messenger's clothes, which consisted of a light green shirt, some short brown pants, and a blue hat. On his left hip was a shortsword, a weak one, but strong enough to fight off monsters. There was a scroll he had attached to his right hip, and he had a leather bag around his right arm, a few pouches in it. He wore some light leather boots, and wore a ring with the seal of Pasca on it.

Jade then called out to Alex. "Alex, now is the time. You must go now to Fort Harnet, which will take you about an hour. Do you have everything ready?"

Alex turned back, and nodded. "Yeah, everything's set."

"Very well then. Begin the operation." Jade replied.

Alex nodded, and began walking, the green fields of Pasca passing by him as he started walking...

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_One hour later, Fort Harnet._

The fort was silent in the dark hour. The fort was actually a castle, with tall stone walls over the castle, covering the interior. A watch post stood tall, over looking the green roof of the castle. Torches were lit during the time, the low wind blowing against them. The night was cloudy, with a dark purple sky above the castle, blocking the moon. Two guards were sitting on the outer walls, passed out as they snored away. Two other guards were standing in the night watch, yawning as they overlooked the plains.

"...I don't see why we have to stand out here tonight and watch for anyone! It's not like those UFTW soldiers are going to attack tonight after we've defeated them three times in a row while they tried to get in! They wouldn't come at night!" One of the soldiers complained.

The other soldier turned to him. "We have to be defending the fort at night. One of the major rules in war is to not underestimate the enemy. There's no telling what they can think up of, and I doubt their stupid. Besides, we only have to stay on shift for one more hour, then Delre and Shinzel have watch duty."

"Yeah, yeah, I know! But personally, I think General Darius is worrying to much. He's thinking about the situation way too seriously and..." The first soldier started, sighing.

"General Darius is thinking about this situation correctly. The enemy is quickly gaining territory, and fast. Already they've taken hald of northern Granvoise, and if we're not careful, the entire continent could be next! I mean, we're already on alert, what with that order to deal with General Belladonna in case of the fact that "State Jemummu Recovery" occurs, which, according to the files, is that special artificial brain state that the put on her brain, causing her to have her loss." The second soldier replied.

"Yeah...say, how exactly did they do that? As far as I know, there's no possible way to control which parts they sealed away." The first soldier asked.

The second soldier scratched his head. "I heard it was done with a combination of spells, drugs, and a skill used by General Tribilin in the correct areas. He is a doctor after all, so he probably came up with the theory on how to seal them away. That technique was the lock, and apparently the 'Ad Libitum' members are they key. She's very strong and useful, however, so we need to try to avoid that. However, lately I've been finding myself questioning Master Valvus' methods about this. I mean, orders to execute one of the three major Generals of Pasca isn't exactly comforting."

The first soldier nodded. "Yeah, I see your point. But one thing overall confuses me. Why did they seal that part away from her? What do they gain from it? Is there something about General Belladonna that I don't know?"

The second soldier then looked troubled, a thought in his head. "Well...it's only a rumor, but a wild rumor has been spreading through the army. According to the rumor, it's believed that General Belladonna is actually..."

The first soldier suddenly jerked his head. "Tell me later! I think I heard something!"

The second soldier then stopped talking, and they turned their heads to the north, looking out for people. They saw a figure approaching, and they quickly readied their bows, determined to strike the person if they were hostile. However, when they got a closer look, they saw that it was Alex dressed as the messanger, though they didn't recognize him because Alex looked different without the Radiant equipment. They then lowered their bows, and walked down the steps of the guard station to greet him.

The second soldier spoke up first, noticing the ring Alex was wearing. "Welcome, messenger, to Fort Harnet. You must have been through a long journey, arriving so late at night."

Alex nodded, relieved that they fell for his disguise. "Yeah, I've been traveling for about a week or so. I would have been here sooner, but it's been harder to get around Granvoise now that half of Northern Granvoise has been taken over by those UFTW forces, so I had to take a detour."

"Well, it's understandable. Do you have a message for us?" The first soldier asked.

Alex nodded, pulling out the scroll from his right hip. "I've got it right here. It's a description of orders that are to be followed in order to defend the area and a list of supplies that are being shipped here shortly."

The second soldier took the scroll, opening it up. "Thank you very much, messenger. It's late, but we have room for you here. Before you go to bed, however, would you like anything to eat or drink? We understand that you've been traveling for a while, and you could use some refreshments."

Alex was surprised by this soldier's kindness, but he nodded. "Actually, I could use some water. I'm a bit thirsty, having traveled all day long."

"Very well. Elcos, I'm going to get the messenger some water. Could you watch alone for a while as I'm getting the water?" The second soldier asked the first soldier.

The first soldier, Elcos, nodded. "Alright, just be back soon! It's boring up there!"

"Don't worry, I'll be back in five minutes. Just stay tight." The second soldier reassured. He then motioned Alex to walk with him, and Alex nodded, walking down the stone walkway into the fort. As they stepped in, Alex could see that Fort Harnet's interior was similar to Fort Nasir's, with stone walls with torches leading the way. The soldier turned left down a hallway, and Alex followed, looking around, when he noticed that the mess hall was at the end of the hallway. The second soldier then turned his head towards Alex.

"By the way, messenger, I never got your name. Would you mind telling me what it is?" The soldier asked.

"Me? I'm Ferion, a messenger in service stationed in Lavard. What's your name?" Alex replied and asked, looking with curiosity.

"I'm Colonel Bozold, leader of the armed forces of this fort. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ferion." Bozold replied, offering his hand to Alex.

Alex smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Colonel Bozold."

Bozold returned the smile, and broke off the shake. "Just Bozold is fine. So, you planning on staying here for a while?"

"Huh? Oh, no. You see, after this message, Master Valvus decided to give me a short leave, which I will be using to go back home to my parents and siblings in Sciroc. I'm looking forward to it." Ferion replied.

Bozold gave a geniuine smile. "Well, that's good to hear! War is a hard thing, something that most teenagers shouldn't have to experience. I wish I were on leave soon. I want to go back home to Sellard in Scollance to my wife and two children."

Alex froze mentally at this, but he kept looking at Bozold. "Well, it can't be helped. Not with this damn war going on right now."

Bozold then looked at Alex with a questioning glance. "Ferion, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?" Alex replied.

"What do you think of the war?" Bozold asked.

Alex looked down on the floor. "...I hate it. Two many on both sides are dying, people who don't deserve to die. If there should be a fight done, it should be betweem the leaders of both nations. Both sides are fighting for important reasons, but that doesn't make this war any easier to think about at all."

Bozold shifted his eyes, glancing around before he spoke. "Then we share a common view. Since we do, may I tell you something privately?"

Alex nodded. "What is it?"

"I'm beginning to question if we're doing the right thing. Fighting against the UFTW just doesn't feel very good. I mean, we did attack them first, so they have a right to attack us to protect our homes. While we're doing the same thing, at least they have a good reason, and according to reports, they're letting the civilians live in peace and have ensured that they are free to pursue their lives. So then, why are we fighting? If anything, it's Master Valvus to blame for all of this, not the nation itself." Bozold whispered.

"...You have a point. However, let's not worry about it now." Alex replied, holding back his true feelings as hard as he could.

Bozold nodded. "You're right. We don't need to damper the mood tonight. For now, let's just rest." Bozold then pushed the door they were in front of open, which lead to the mess hall. The mess hall was very similar to the one in Fort Nasir, with several wooden tables and benches set up, some food and drink lying at the end of the room. Bozold took a pitcher of water, poured it into a cup, and gave it to Alex, who put the cup to his mouth and drank it, the cold water curing his parched throat. As he finished it, he took a breath, and looked at Bozold.

"Th...thank you for the drink, Bozold." Alex stated, a bit nervous.

Bozold smiled at him. "It was my pleasure. Can I get you anything else, Ferion?"

Alex shook his head. "No thank you. Could you tell me where the barracks are so that I can sleep?"

"Of course. The barracks are on the second floor. You take a left from the mess hall to get to the staircase, and the barracks are almost immediately in front of you, right next to the armory. Would you like me to escort you there?" Bozold replied.

"No thank you. I'll find it." Alex answered.

"Well, good. I guess that I'll see you again tommorow. Have a good rest." Bozold stated.

Alex nodded. "Thank you." Alex then walked out of the mess hall, taking a left towards the staircase. As he walked, his mind was fixated on something.

_I knew it...the Pascans are just the same as us...they're people just like the rest of us. Bozold...he's a really good man! He doesn't deserve to be fighting in this war! He deserves to be at his home in Sellard with his wife and kids! However...we share the same ideology...Maybe...it's possible to not kill him and instead make him one of us...he probably wouldn't like it, however._

_Well...at least I got something out of him. First off, I'll head to the armory and place the device in a corner or something like that. After that's done, I'll disable the catapults, then run into some empty room and then create a portal out of here. Alright...operation begin!_

Alex then reached the staircase, and walked up it, his footsteps echoing in the dark hall. As he got to the top of the stairs, he immediately noticed that there was a three way intersection, with two doors in front of him. Trusting his intuition, he then went to the right sided door and opened it. When he opened it, he noticed that he was in the armory of the fort. Weapons and pieces of armor were lined up all over the room, ranging from swords to spears to bows.

Alex then quietly walked in, shutting the door behind him. He then walked around, looking for a good spot. He then noticed a small wedge in the wall in the northwest corner of the room, almost unseeable if he hadn't looked closely. Alex then quickly opened the bag over his shoulder, and pulled out the package, opening it. The device was a small grey box with a clock in the middle of it, silently ticking down, with a circular blue button next to it. Alex then pressed the button, and slid the device in the wedge, which was almost entirely camaflouged in the wall. Alex took a deep breath.

_Phew...there goes the easy part...now comes the hard part..._

Silently, Alex turned around, and opened the door to the armory and walking outside, shutting the door quietlly. He then looked around for any guards, and when he saw the coast was clear, he quickly walked through the hallways, noticing a door that was on the end of the wall to the outer walls. He then reached the door, and opened it. He felt the cool night air blowing against his face as he walked out into the night.

The fort outside was very dark, with most of the torches having been blown away by the wind. There were a few passed out guards lying down on the walls, having fallen asleep while on guard duty, reminding Alex of similar times where his own men had fallen asleep on guard duty. Looking across the edge of the wall, he counted about 20 catapults on the wall. Alex noticed that these catapults had a sling to fire the objects, and a wooden beam that supported the sling. Alex then took a deep breath.

_About 80 catapults to disable quietly...I've got to get this done quickly and quietly._

Alex then unsheathed his sword, glancing at the closest catapult. Walking over to the sling, he cut across it, causing the string to split in half. Next, he looked at the beam. Holding the bottom upwards with his left hand, he quickly cut down on the beam, weakening the beam. A few seconds later, Alex cut through the beam fully, feeling the weight of the beam on his left hand. Slowly, he placed the beam down on the catapult, barely making a sound. Internally, Alex sighed,

_1 down...79 to go..._

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_Half an hour later..._

Alex was now standing in front of the final catapult, still standing in perfect shape. Alex looked at the other ones, with their slings snapped and their beams broken and lying down on the catapults, beyond repair. Alex then took a deep breath, and he went over to the sling and slashed it into two again. He then took the beam, placed his left hand underneath, and cut through it, placing it down. Alex then smiled, and was about to leave when he heard a voice.

"In...INTRUDER! INTRUDER ON THE OUTER WALLS!"

Alex gasped, his eyes widened, and he turned around, seeing a soldier who had woken up staring at him. Panicking, Alex quickly used a Demonic Chaos, all three shockwaves striking the soldier and killing him, but it was too late- the alarm bell was already ringing. Cursing, Alex ran back inside.

Alex heard footsteps coming from the staircase, and quickly ran down one of the hallways away from the stairs. A soldier spotted him, and they began pursuing him, splitting up. Alex noticed Bozold leading the soldiers, and he quickly opened the nearest door, and shut it, locking it. He quickly noticed he was in a small room, with only a desk in it. Alex then heard the door breaking down, and then began to make a portal, picturing the roof of Fort Nasir hearing Bozold's voice.

"Rezus! An imposter from the UFTW has infiltrated the base! Send a unit of 2000 men to attack Fort Nasir immediately!" Bozold ordered.

"Yes Colonel!" A second voice replied, footsteps being heard. Alex was almost done with the portal when he noticed a sheet of paper on the desk next to him. Instinctively, he grabbed the paper, and finished the portal just as the door broke down. A soldier then ran forward and stabbed Alex at through his lower chest, with Alex yelling out in pain, and he quickly jumped into the portal, which dissapated behind him...

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_Fort Nasir..._

Reid was currently on patrol duty on the roof of Fort Nasir, watching out for enemy soldiers. Suddenly, he squinted as a bright blue light suddenly appeared to the left of him, and gasped when he saw Alex fell out of the portal, blood pouring from his mouth as he crouched over. Reid then quickly ran over to Alex, crouching down at his level with worry on his face.

"Alex! Are you alright? What happened?" Reid asked frantically.

Alex coughed out some more blood. "...Lemon...Gel...quickly!"

Reid then nodded, and quickly reached into a vacuum-space-sphere at his belt, procuring a Lemon Gel. He then placed it into Alex's mouth, and Alex quickly chewed it up, gasping out as he felt strength returning to his body. He then looked at Reid.

"Reid...thank you..." Alex gasped out, still having pain in his waist.

"No problem. But what happened? Did something go wrong with the operation?" Reid asked.

Alex glanced back up at Reid, lying down. "I'll talk about it later. Right now, you must wake everyone up and tell them to come up here! The fort will be attacked in about an hour! Tell Raine she's going to have to heal me as well, as the Lemon Gel won't be enough to heal me. Go!"

"Right!" Reid replied, running off downstairs, Alex looking up at the sky while lying on his back. Minuted later, everyone came rushing up as they saw Alex on the ground, Raine rushing up the fastest, and she casted Revatalize. Alex saw the wide blue circle surrounded him, then he felt the energy rush through his body as his wound sealed up and his strength returned. He then stood up, barely any pain remaining.

"Alex, are you ok?" Raine asked.

Alex nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."

Jade cleared his throat. "Now that we've got that out of the way, I think now would be a good time to ask you what happened with operation. Judging by the state you arrived in, I'm guessing the operation was a failure?"

Alex shook his head. "Actually, no. The operation was a success. The catapults were disabled and the device was planted. However, just as I disabled the final catapult, I was spotted by a soldier, who alerted the entire fort of my prescence. I barely managed to escape, but I succeded in my operation. However, I heard them saying that they were going to send a unit of 2000 soldiers to attack here!"

Everyone gasped at this, except for Jade, who pushed his glasses up. "I see. Do you have an idea where would easily stop them with the least amount of casualties before they storm the base?"

Alex thought for a second, and suddenly snapped his head up, a grin on his face. "Come to think of it, something just hit me..."

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_One hour later..._

The sound of footsteps echoed out through the night in Fort Nasir. A group of 2000 soldiers were marching towards the dark fort, equipped with various types of weapon and armor. Suddenly, one soldier turned towards the captain.

"Major Rezus! Fort Nasir is completely dark! It's like no one is there! Also, a scout just reported that there are no guards posted at the guard outpost overlooking the area! Are the UFTW forces really here?" The soldier reported.

A troubled look came across Rezus' face. "...Really? Well, anyway, keep approaching, but be careful. We don't know if this is some sort of trap the have planned for us."

The soldier nodded, and then continued marching. About five minutes later, they were close to the wall, when suddenly, Rezus heard a _crack_ sound under his boots. He lifted them, and saw there was glass on them.

"...Glass?" One soldier stated.

Rezus was in thought. "Hmm...maybe they retreated, and dropped some supplies on the way. Let's keep..."

"NOW!" A voice rang out.

Suddenly, from behind the walls, rows of archers and mages appeared. Before the Pascan force could react, the archers unleashed their arrows and the mages unleashed their spells, and seconds later, the whole unit was dead, mainly from Jade's high leveled Indignation.

Alex came out from behind the walls. "Did...did we really do all of that? Is it over?"

Jade smiled. "Yes, they're all dead. I've got to say Alex, that was a pretty smart idea, planting the glass on the ground to alert us of their prescence. _Now _you're beginning to think like a general."

Alex looked up at Jade in surprise at this, and smiled. "Th...thank you. But it's not over yet. That device will go off in another twenty minutes, and then we attack in the morning. I think that this time, we can win."

Jade nodded. "Right. Well, I think we should all get some rest now, as it's very late, and we'll need energy for the morning.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Men! Get back to the barracks for some rest! We'll clean up this mess later!"

The soldiers all nodded, and turned around to get back into the fort, prepared for tommorow...

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_Eight hours later..._

Alex and the rest of the unit were approaching Fort Harnet, their weapons ready. After the last few battles, they were ready for anything. As their eyes focused on the fort, they focused on the now disabled catapults, their slings and beams out of commision. Jade looked at Alex with an impressed look, and noticed that there were no enemy guards posted either. Alex noticed this as well, and grinned silently to himself, though he felt troubled inside, and felt bad inside.

_Today...I'll probably have to kill Bozold. It's...it's a...NO! I don't want to kill him! But...but it can't be helped, can it? Unless we can arrange some negotiations, he will have to be killed. It's...it's not right...but I must do it. I feel bad for his wife and two kids though...their going to lose him! Damn it! Wh...no, stop! Prophet told me to stop thinking this way in war, and his advice, while harsh, is the right way to go. I'll have to grin and bear this whole thing._

As he thought this, Alex suddenly noticed someone on the roof. Everyone else saw him, and readied their weapons. Suddenly, the soldier raised a white flag up in the air. All of the soldiers gasped, and lowered their weapons.

Alex looked confused. "Umm...Jade? Why did everyone lower their weapons?"

Jade then pressed his hand to his head, sighing. "You really don't know? A white flag is the international military symbol for 'surrender'. In other words, they're giving up. That artificial explosion we created last night must have damaged most of their equipment beyond repair. We win."

A soldier turned to Alex. "General Terresca, what shall we do with the enemy soldiers?"

Alex, who had been looking in shock, suddenly snapped back. "...Imprision all of them. They are not to be harmed or killed, however. Is that clear?"

"Understood, General Terresca!" The soldier replied.

Alex took a deep breath. _Well, we managed to avoid bloodshed today through Leon's great plan...but I doubt a stealth mission like that will ever work again...no, we'll have to resort to different methods in case we end up in this situation ever again..._

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_Lavard Castle._

Valvus was standing on the roof of the palacial castle, glancing over to a man on his side. He cleared his throat, and faced the man.

"...So, the Silver Knights have placed the seeds in the Jezid Ruins?" Valvus asked the man.

"Yes, Master Valvus. Through their language, they told me that they placed the Pascan, Yaoonian, and the Auldrant seeds in the ruin chamber. The seeds are being destroyed as we speak and their energy is being transferred into to ruins. However, without all three, the power of them can't be fully unleashed. Forgive me if I sound rude, Master Valvus, but has any progress been made on the third relic?" The man replied.

"No, nothing yet. Is everything else ready?" Valvus asked.

The man nodded. "Yes they are, Master Valvus. How is General Belladonna doing, if I may ask?"

Valvus looked up. "For now, she's fine. However, we can't let 'State Jemummu Recovery' occur, or we'll lose her for good no matter what happens. Unless she makes contact with the 'Ad Libitum' members, she'll be fine."

"True. But still, we have to thank General Belladonna for those seeds." The man remarked.

Valvus smirked. "...Yes. We do have to thank Belladonna for the seeds indeed..."

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**Yo, It's me. How was the chapter? I tried to do a more "tricky" chapter in terms of how the "battle" went this time. In other news, instead of 60 chapters like I had planned originally, I recalculated this story and realized that there are actually going to be about 75-80 chapters! Now that you've heard that, here's Darius' profile.**

**Darius: Blue haired man, assistant to Valvus. Fairly calm most of the time.**

**Age: 35. Hair color: Blue. Eye color: Brown. Weapon: Spear.**

**Voice actor: Michael McConnohie.**

**Seiyuu (Japanese voice actor): Koichi Yamadera.**

**Name origin: No reason, I just thought that the name felt fitting somehow.**

**Well, that's it for today! Until next time! Don't forget to Review, by the way!**


	13. Chapter 12: Half of Half

**Hello! Final Poke Mario Fan's back, and he's here with a new chapter as well! Enjoy this long awaited chapter now!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 12: Half of Half

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_Fort Harnet, one week after the surrender of the fort from Pasca to the UFTW forces lead by Lieutenant General Jade Curtiss..._

Alex was lying down on a bed in the fort, the stone walls surrounding him. A window lay on the wall, giving a view of the whole Granvoise landscape, the entire world exiting summer and entering the door to the season of autumn, the green leaves on the trees now changing to the yellow, brown, and orange colors. Alex was sitting barechested, several bandages wrapped around his waist, though they were clean of blood, being his eighth pair of bandages this week. He wore simple red leather pants. Moving slightly in his bed, Alex grunted and held his side, his wound from the night he had raided the fort throbbing, having reopened while he moved around earlier this week. He then lay back in bed and looked out the window.

_Damn it...if I had been a bit more careful that night, I wouldn't be lying here right now...and our unit wouldn't be stuck here waiting for me to get better... I hate making them wait for me...then again, it may be for the best, since according to reports, Fort Binde and Fort Luzco have been retaken by the Pascan assault force...and besides, the next location, Castle Arcos, is a vital strategical point for the continent, and we need some extra planning if we're going to capture it._

_Castle Arcos is in the middle of Granvoise, not including the Trabadian Desert to the south, which is across the Corde River and is more like a seperate country anyway. Whoever controls Arcos controls half of Granvoise essentially. The main reason we haven't attacked the continent's main base, Castle Granvoise, is because we know that if we attacked immediately, their reinforcements around the continent would easily defeat us, so we decided to take control of the continent first, then attack the enemy's base. Once we get control of Granvoise, however, we still haven't figured a strategy to get across the Great Bridge of Scollvoise...well, we'll deal with that at proper time. Besides, I have faith that our men can recover Binde and Luzco._

_Still...it's been a month since this war began. So many innocent soldiers lives have been lost on both sides...but it can't be helped. We're going to need reinforcements soon...600,000 is about a size of a _small_ army for a fullscale war like this...and if my intuition is right, we're going to need tens of thousands of soldiers to take over Castle Granvoise...We need another two months before our next set of soldiers being trained in Terresia are ready, however...the Trabadian Desert will possibly take another month and a half or so to conquer, so hopefully we'll have soldiers ready for our assault by then._

_Even with this plan in mind, this war is far from over. The true perpetrators...Valvus, Darius...Tribilin, and Belladonna have yet to been killed, even though I've had the chance to do so to Belladonna once, some voice told me not. She's an enemy, and yet...at the same time, there's something telling me not to kill her. I don't know why, but it doesn't matter: my true enemy is Tribilin. That bastard will pay for killing Mormo, and as the gods as my witness, I will get revenge. Despite that, I still don't know much about them, and I have no leads..._

Suddenly, Alex remembered something, hitting himself in the head for forgetting. Grunting in pain, he reached over to a nightstand on the right side of his bed, his vacuum-space sphere lying on it. He then grabbed the sphere and quickly went back into a still position, the pain gone. Sighing, he went through the contents of the sphere until he found what he was looking for. He then pressed a button, and put a hand to the top of the sphere to grab the item that came out. He grabbed it, and held it in front of himself. It was a piece of paper with some words on it.

_I remember grabbing this on instinct when I escaped this fort, and put it away without looking at whatever was written in it. But now that I have it, I should whatever it is that is written in it, even if it's not important._

With that, Alex looked at the paper. It read:

**(cont page 3 of the file of General Tribilin Hemoses)**

**...at the age of 20, Tribilin graduated from the University of Elvose at the top of his class with a degree in medical work, making him Dr. Tribilin Hemoses. 3 years later, after working some jobs for various hospitals, Tribilin joined the military both as a soldier and as a medic. He quickly rose up through the ranks, rising to the rank of colonel at the age of 26. After the Pascan Descender Genocide Dissapearance Incident (see the file of G- (the next two words were obscured by a coffee stain) for more information), Emperor Valvus made Tribilin his general, making him third in command of all of the Pascan military forces, Emperor Valvus and General Darius being the only people with more command.**

**BATTLE STYLE**

**General Tribilin has his own unique hand-to-hand battle style, combined with the Rezcan style of hand-to-hand combat with General Tribilin's mix of techniques. Being a well known doctor, General Tribilin has full knowledge of the body's systems, and uses techniques to try to disable these systems or turn them against his opponent's own bodies. He specializes in either shutting the nervous system down, altering the circulatory system to slowly kill his enemies, or stuns them in weak points in the other systems, and is a force to be reckoned with.**

**General Tribilin's medical knowledge is especially vital to the military. One time, in a situation where a patient was dying of blood loss from a severed artery, General Tribilin managed to reroute the flow of his blood long enough to let the patient live long enough so the severed artery could be fixed. He also came up with the technique and medical plan that managed to induce "State Jemummu Recovery", which successfully sealed away the long term side of the hippocamus in the brain of K- (the page ended there).**

Alex then put down the paper, a look of surprise on his face. Not exactly shock, just a small amount of surprise.

_Whoa...that bastard...he's a doctor? I...I can hardly believe it! From what I've heard from some of the enemy soldiers that we have prisoner, Tribilin is supposingly the biggest sadist in the whole army! So...why would a sadist like him become such a talented doctor? And..."State Jemummu Recovery"? What the hell is that? It doesn't even sound like a name or word...but...his battle style._

_His battle style...it's definately something to be worried about. I remember when I tried to attack Tribilin on the top of Gilgulim, he stunned me with a technique that hit me in a spot that disabled me for a second...I guess this was it. Still, if we ever go against him, this is something we must memorize. Attacking Tribilin from a range might be an easier way to kill him...I guess I better start thinking of a strategy against him...and I've got to inform the guys as well. Tribilin...you're much smarter than I took you for. You'll make an interesting opponent to say the least._

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_Ruins of Jezid, several miles north of Lavard Castle..._

Valvus was standing in a pitch black room, lit only by a torch he held in his hand. Standing next to him was the man he had spoken to on the roof of Lavard Castle last week, who's facial features were now visible. He looked like he was about 33 years old, with green hair tied up in a ponytail and brown eyes. He wore a thick red jacket and had blue leather pants, with some standard leather boots on. On his right hip was a shortsword, inside it's sheath.

"...So, this is the main chamber of the Ruins of Jezid? I've...I've never been this deep before here. What did you mean when you said that the room was different yet the same from when you found it, Master Valvus?" The green hair man asked.

Valvus gave a small chuckle. "Heh. One second, and you'll see what I mean. This whole chamber has been set up for the procedure when the time comes, yet at the same time...we've kept it's originality at the same time. Now...here it is."

As he said this, he flicked his fingers and suddenly, lights came on in the room. The green haired man took a look around and stared at the room with amazement while looking at it.

"Well, I'd have to agree with you, Master Valvus. This is an impressive set up to say the least." The green haired man noted, scanning every section of the room carefully.

The room was enormous, about the size of half of a football field. The whole room was a brown stone chamber, with the stones covered in dust and some decay from its age. Columns supported the room, holding the roof up in place. The whole floor was covered in the same brown stones, which, on close examination, looked like the same kind of bricks that composed the Pyramids in Egypt on Earth. The air in the room was some what musty, and a strange scent covered the entire room.

But what really caught the two's attention was the end of the room. At it, there was a huge stone altar, with some strange lines from the floor headed directly towards it. A large slab stood at the end of the altar, with three square slots in the middle, the lines of the floor going up to them. There were some runes in an unknown language written on the structure above and below the squares, with a stand with several sheets of papers next to it. The papers were a translation of the runes, being translated by some of Lavard's greatest archaeologists and scholars.

The lines on the floor seperated out of the altar, splitting up into many lines. The lines were connected to several slabs spread around the room. On these slabs where black sheets, obscuring something that was under the sheets. The green haired man walked over to the sheets, lifted on of them up, and looked at what was under it for a second. He then turned to Valvus, his grin still on.

"...So, this is the 'tribute' mentioned in the runes, huh?" The man asked.

Valvus nodded. "Yes. There is nothing purer for the tribute than this kind of tribute. The oldest kind of tribute. Therefore, we got all of the tributes and we're keeping them there for until we're ready for the ritual. We already posses two of the three items, and once we have the third...my plan will come to fruitation."

The green haired man looked back at the thing under the sheet. "But how did you get so many? Negotions for the tributes weren't that easy, I take it? In fact, I don't understand how you even got one of the tributes without trouble!"

"There is so much that lying can accomplish. We just tricked the source of the tributes into giving us them, that the source doesn't even know. However...the greatest tribute here...we 'acquired' through force before we even got the source to supply us the tributes." Valvus explained.

The green haired man looked towards one slab that unlike the others had something under a red sheet. He walked over to the slab and picked up the sheet, a look of surprise reaching his face when he saw what was under it. "Master Valvus, isn't this...?"

Valvus nodded. "It is. Before we even made the deal, we found this tribute nearby the source of the other tributes. It took the four of us to do it, but we acquired this tribute after force. The energy it will provide will be massive, even if it's already stored in the ruins."

The green haired man nodded, looking over at the slab again. "So, what about the fourth? It was written about along with the second, wasn't it? The safety measure to the other three, right?"

"We found it along with the second. An examination after it reached the location proved that the writings were true. Therefore, we deemed that if a Descender got their hands on it, the power released by it would be enough to put a stop to our plans. Then, to avoid the possibility that one of them gets it, we decided to seal it in the Emerald Safe down in the Fortress of Scaros, which could only be unlocked by the key itself, which we've destroyed." Valvus explained.

The green haired man looked a little worried. "But what about the other one? The indestructable one?"

Valvus sighed. "It's currently being housed in Besos in a secret room. There's no need for concern. So far, everything's going to plan, with the exception of the war."

"Well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Anyway, are you going to tell me my instructions considering the possibility of 'State Jemummu Recovery' occuring?" The green haired man asked.

Valvus nodded. "Yes. If 'State Jemummu Recovery' occurs in General Belladonna, she will undoubtly go defect from our army to the UFTW side. In case that occurs...I've decided that you will take her place, Siltran."

The green haired man, Siltran, suddenly gasped in surprise. "M...Master Valvus...really? Are you serious?"

"Of course. You've proven to be incredibly loyal to me, in fact, more loyal than Darius. Tribilin is too unstable to be loyal, and Belladonna is subjected to experience 'State Jemummu Recovery', so consider it as a reward for being my most loyal servant all of these years." Valvus replied, smiling.

"Th...thank you, Master Valvus! It would be an honor like no other to serve you like this!" Siltran exclaimed, bowing to his feet.

"Say no more. Now, let me demonstrate a bit the power of the Ruins of Jezid to you." Valvus replied, walking towards the altar, Siltran following, holding two different looking objects...

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_Unknown room..._

Belladonna was dead asleep in a bedroom in an unknown fort in the desert, the cold night's air passing over the arid landscape. Her face, however, as usual, could not be seen, as a nightstand blocked her face from view from anyone who entered the room. As she slept, Prophet suddenly appeared over her sleeping form, a frown behind his mask. As he examined Belladonna, he then nodded to himself, two voices suddenly sounding in his head.

_"There's...there's no mistaking it...Belladonna...the Soul was telling the truth." _The high-pitched voice spoke out in Prophet's mind.

_"Well, well, look what we have here. You are right, there's no mistake about Belladonna...though age has shown a bit. Now then, perhaps I could deal my vengence on the failure while I'm here..." _The deep voice added in Prophet's head.

_"No! You wouldn't! Remember, when our souls united, the Soul gave majority of dominance of this body to me, even if it's like yours! Besides, 'Prophet' acts like a third person, a mix of the two of us." _The high pitch voice replied, anger in it's voice.

_"Grr...Enjoy this while you can. No matter what, I'll never have respect for either of them. You, obviously, can't complain, after everything that's happened, but I'm not about to just forgive them that easily. Could you forgive the third person easily on their side? Well?" _The deep voice snapped back.

_"..." _The high pitched voice grew silent.

_"Hmph. Just as I thought. Now you see the anger that I'm feeling right now! Tell me any reason why I should forgive them?"_ The deep voice angrily asked.

_"Well...it is your fault that it happened. If you hadn't provoked either of them, they wouldn't have had any reason to do that, would they?" _The high pitch voice answered, somewhat sarcastically replied.

_"Rgh! If it weren't for the facts that the Soul revealed to us, I wouldn't have even bothered with this partnership. You...you have no idea what it's like...being forced to work with the three people I hate more than anyone else?! Working with you pieces of shit really pisses me off!" _The deep voice replied.

_"That does it! I'm sealing you away for now! I'm not going to let you talk about them like that! Now, let's just do what we came to do!" _The high voice snapped.

With that, Prophet suddenly glowed white, and dissapeared, entering Belladonna's mind...

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_Belladonna's mind, dream..._

_Belladonna was standing on a platform over a dark red-purple void, her being fully clad in her armor. Down in the void, thousands of images passed by, each of them flashing by for only about half of a second. Belladonna stared down on the images, a frown passing by her face as she continued to look at the images. Suddenly, she heard something, and looked up. Prophet was standing on a platform parallel to hers, glancing down on the images with interest. Belladonna looked at Prophet._

_"Who...who are you?" Belladonna asked in a surprised tone._

_"...A friend and an enemy. In two different senses, we guess. If you need a name to describe us, then just call us Prophet, Belladonna." Prophet replied, crossing his arms._

_Belladonna gasped. "How...how do you know my name?"_

_For a second, Prophet seemed to scoff quietly to himself before continuing. "Let's just say we know a lot about you, Belladonna. And we mean a _lot_."_

_"I...I don't understand what you mean." Belladonna replied._

_"Ah, but there's a lot you don't understand, are we wrong? Like those images flowing below us, right?" Prophet stated, motioning downwards._

_Belladonna gasped in shock. "Just...just what are you? Are you a god?"_

_"Gods? No, we're far from that. However, you and us, we're the same. Back to the reason we're here, it involves those images. You don't know what they are, do you?" Prophet asked._

_Belladonna lowered her head. "No...I don't. I can't help but feel they're related to my condition...'State Jemummu Recovery', they've called it. I don't know what it means, but apparently they're afraid of my condition for some reason. I...I don't understand who I truly am. I feel like there's a lot missing from my life that should be there. It reminds me of when I fought the Terresian Descender- I know I should kill him, but for some reason, he doesn't feel like the enemy."_

_"Well, who knows. Maybe he's like us...both an enemy and a friend. Anyway, the reason we're truly here. We need to tell you that you must awaken your condition 'State Jemummu Recovery'." Prophet replied._

_Belladonna sounded surprised. "Wh...what? Why? Everyone else is afraid of my condition and are trying to prevent it from awakening. So why?"_

_Prophet smirked to himself. "It's as you say. Everyone is afraid of your condition...because if it happens, you'll defect the army. If you awaken 'State Jemummu Recovery', this is your true purpose-you must stop Valvus' plan and kill him, along with the UFTW forces...especially the Terresian Descender."_

_Belladonna froze for a second, and then scoffed. "You must be joking. You want me to betray Master Valvus and kill him and stop his plan?! I could never do that. Master Valvus' vision is what I live for. I serve him and I believe in his vision. Killing Master Valvus is out of the question, you see, as I owe everything to him."_

_Prophet laughed. "We're not sure you'll think that way once your condition awakens and you fully understand what the images mean. Unlike you, we know what they mean."_

_Belladonna gasped again. "You...do?"_

_"Oh yes. We've known what they meant the second we saw them." Prophet slyly replied, his body beginning to flicker._

_"R...Really? Then...please, tell me! I must know! I've been haunted by these images for the past two years! I need to know!" Belladonna pleaded, her tone in shock._

_Prophet shook his head, his body dissapearing. "Unfortunately, we can't tell you. In order to awaken from 'State Jemummu Recovery', you must see the special object that symbolizes a bond between you and the person you are destined to see again...as for where it is, you'll have to find out for yourself. Goodbye! We may possibly meet again!" Prophet exclaimed, and he then dissapeared from sight, Belladonna's dream fading away..._

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_Fort Harnet, next day..._

Alex stood up from his bed, stretching his arms up, wobbling a bit as he walked. After one last round of healing and examination by Raine, she had deemed that Alex was ready for combat once again. He quickly then took his Radiant equipment, placed it on, and opened the door to the rest of the fort. He calmly walked down the hall, fellow soldiers saluting him with a surprised, pleased look on their face to see their Brigadier General back in action. As he walked down the halls, he reached the strategy room, and opened the door.

Alex then walked in the door, saluting to his fellow Ad Libitum members, who saluted back. Alex then took his chair at the long table, and sat down next to General Halvun. Jade then cleared his throat, and examined the table, making sure everyone was there.

"Alright. Now that we're all here, we'll begin discussing the strategy we've come up with to conquer Castle Arcos. As we all know, capturing this place is going to be hard, as Castle Arcos is probably the fourth most heavily guarded fortress in all of Granvoise, next to this fort, the Granvoise Castle Guardian Outpost, and Granvoise Castle." Jade started.

"Anyway, a stealth operation is not going to work this time, as security for messengers around Pasca has nearly doubled after the infiltration last week. Therefore, we're going to have to resort, yet again, to a more traditonal way of siege. We're going to have to use a very...straightforward strategy, to say the least. In fact, there's no guarantee of it working."

"In this strategy, we're going to at first do a head on assault, spreading out our groups. One team will strike the walls of the castle, attacking the archers on the walls. The other team will enter the castle through a side entrance detailed in the blueprints to the castle that we obtained several days ago. Then, a third team will come and strike the castle with spells, distracting the enemy. It's not a very good strategy, but it's the best we've got." Jade explained.

Garr closed his eyes. "Indeed. Unlike the other castles and forts, this one is heavily guarded and has a wide variety of soldiers. Apparently, unlike the assault force we encountered in Rasgon, this team is part of General Darius' army. There's not much else we could have done in strategy."

"However, won't there be a great loss of soldiers if we use this strategy? There's really nothing else?" Luke asked.

General Halvun shook his head. "Nothing. The hardest battles in war for the offensive side is conquering heavily armed fortresses. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, there is no easy way, as reinforcements can't exactly be accessed easily since our army in northern Granvoise is too busy trying to retake Fort Binde and Fort Luz. Not only that, but General Aurion's army is still tied up to the southeast, and our meeting can't occur until we take the castle."

"Right. The castle vital to our dominance over Granvoise. Without it, we'll be in a tight situation for control." Veigue added.

Jade then cleared his throat. "Those are your orders, everyone. Get ready to move out in three hours. I would suggest eating up or checking your gear. After all, this one will be our toughest battle yet." With that. Jade stood up, and walked out of the room, everyone else following suit. As usual, Alex slipped into his thoughts while walking.

_Damn it...one month into the war and we're already facing a great siege. With the limited amount of soldiers...people...that we have, this battle will be even harder. I hate to admit this, but with no reinforcements, this battle is looking pretty grim. I'm not sure if we could we even with Kratos...yes, this battle is nearly hopeless. At least we're on the offensive...meaning we could retreat and regroup. Maybe...no, I shouldn't think of that. It's too dangerous to risk it, like Prophet said..._

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_Five hours later..._

Alex and the rest of the unit were marching towards Catle Arcos, split apart from each other. Alex felt a cool autumn breeze blow against him, and he then looked towards the sky, a frown on his face. Shaking it off, he continued marching over the fields, when he suddenly saw Castle Arcos, his mouth nearly dropped, having never seen anything like it before in his life.

It was a grand castle, the walls carefully constructed out of marble and stone. The castle was about 250 feet tall, nearly a third of the size of the World Tree. The rooftops were carefully crafted out of some of the finest wood in Pasca, painted blue. There were about six layers of the castle with an obnoxiously large tower in the middle, that if it fell, would destroy nearly all of the other layers. There were many catapults on the layers, all of them ready to shoot down the trespassers, their slings loaded up with magically powered stones.

Scanning the wall, Alex could see many archers on the walls, their bows ready, their quivers full of their arrows, the fletchers having worked their hands out to make all of them. Ordinary soldiers equipped with swords and spears were also at the ready. Seeing the sight of all of them, Alex seemed to laugh at the irony for some reason. Jade then motioned.

"Unit One, attack! Scatter and distract the enemy so that Unit Two can sneak in!" Jade shouted.

Alex then ran forward, sword out. Seconds later, all hell broke loose. The archers all strung their bows and fired forward. The volley then hit many soldiers, falling down. Spells then began to bombard the Pascans, but their loss was minimal. Alex then suddenly looked ahead in horror, realizing there was no way to win. He then cursed, and began running around...

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_Two hours later..._

Alex cursed, looking at the situation. The UFTW side had lost many soldiers, and were barely getting anywhere. Meanwhile, the Pascans were faring incredibly well, their spells, catapults, and arrows striking down the UFTW soldiers.

_Damn it! What the hell were we thinking?! There is no way to break their iron defense! They've got it perfectly set up, there's little casulties for them, and there's no goddamn weakness! What to..._

Suddenly, Alex looked at the catapults, firing off their rocks from the catapult from the tower down on the UFTW forces, the archers firing from the next five layers on the tower. All of the sudden, an idea popped into Alex's head.

_The...the tower...of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier! Damn, I'm stupid! If I had thought quicker, I could have used my new plan earlier to defeat the Pascans! Now, all I have to do is...wait...I can't cast magic...and not even the mages avaliable to us right now would be of any use to get it done. Unless..._

_No! If I do that, Prophet said I could die! But, then again...it doesn't really matter. I'm going to die sooner or later either during the course of the war or after the war ends. There's no escaping my fate. If I die, it won't matter, right? I'm just a Descender...I can be replaced...yes...replaced. I have nothing to live for except for Terresia anyway. Very well, I'm going to do it!_

Alex turned to Jade, who still had a blank look on his face. "Jade! I have an idea!"

Jade looked a little surprised. "What is it?"

"Have all the mages start focusing their spells at the base of the tower! Just trust me, it'll work!" Alex exclaimed.

Jade thought for a second. "...Very well. Mages! Start casting and release your spells at the base of the tower!"

The mages all nodded, and suddenly, their spells started hitting the base of the tower. Alex then closed his eyes, and pictured the base of the tower in his mind, though several feet away from it. He then summoned up his teleportation power, and placed his hand forward, his hand glowing blue. Suddenly, the portal formed in front of him, and near the tower, Alex could see the corrosponding portal form.

_Halfway down...one more thing to do..._

Alex then closed his eyes again, and felt his body for the mana of his destruction power. He found it, and began charging it, opening his eyes. In front of him, he could see a white light from his hands glowing, growing bigger. As Alex put more mana into the destruction light, he began feeling weary and felt the mana in his body weakening, but he continued gathering energy. Finally, when the light was as big as Alex, he looked at the portal.

"GO!"

With that, Alex released the light and shot it forward, going through the portal. Near the base of the tower, Alex saw the light form at the other portal and shot across the base of the tower. The light ripped through the stone like it was nothing, and the base of the tower was destroyed, and the tower then started falling over, Pascan soldiers screaming as they fell off it to their deaths. Suddenly, Alex felt totally exhausted, and without warning, collapsed, falling unconscious as he hit the ground...

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_Unknown room..._

Alex could feel a heavy feeling on his eyes. He slowly tried to lift them, hearing gasps and whispers around him. He then used more effort to lift his eyes up, as he could feel nothing in the rest of his body. He then opened his eyes, and saw he was lying on a bed in a bedroom in a marble white room. Around him, he saw his fellow Ad Libitum members surrounding him. Surprised, he looked up, but found he couldn't move at all. He looked at Jade in confusion.

"J...Jade? Where...where am I? Is this...is this heaven? Did we all die?" Alex asked.

"No, we're not. However, I wouldn't be surprised for you thinking so, seeing you demonstrating how little you valued your life." Jade replied, a somewhat cold tone in his voice, lacking its usual sarcastic tone.

"Huh? Wha...what happened?" Alex asked, confused.

"You created a portal, then summoned up a large amount of light and shot it through the portal and destroyed the tower, then you fell unconscious. You're in Castle Arcos right now. You've been unconscious for three days." Chester explained, his voice sounding relieved and cold at the same time.

"Th...three days? What happened to the battle anyway?" Alex wondered.

"Well, when you knocked out the tower, you killed over twelve thousand soldiers in nearly a second. The survivors surrendered immediately, and we gained control of Castle Arcos." Reid replied, his voice in a somewhat cold, relieved tone as well. Alex noticed that everyone staring at him looked relieved, yet had a cold glance in their eyes.

Alex's eyes went wide, a loud gasp escaping from his throat.

"Twelve...twelve thousand? Me? Why? And...why...are you all looking at me that we way?" Alex asked.

"Because what you did was so goddamn stupid!" A familiar voice exclaimed, anger in it.

Alex widened his eyes, glancing upon the speaker of the voice. "Lloyd? Why are you here? I thought you were with Kratos."

Lloyd, standing over Alex, nodded. "We got here this morning, me and the rest of the unit. But that doesn't matter! I just heard about what you did, and I can't believe you'd be that stupid!"

Alex seemed a little surprised. "Why would...you care? We won the battle, right? If I had died, it would have just been one of the many soldiers who died in war? After all, I think I'm replacable. It doesn't matter if I die."

Lloyd seemed even angrier after that. "Shut up! You can't just throw away your life like that, Alex! Nothing good would have come out of dying! There's no point in dying as a sacrifice when it's clearly avoidable! Everyone deserves to live, no matter what! Let me guess, you think you can die easily because your a Descender and not human, right?"

"Well...yeah. Isn't that logical? After all, there could be someone else to replace..."

"Shut up! You're only thinking about yourself now! Sure, you may think that it's easy to die because you may want to and you have no regrets. But what about us! Don't we matter?! We're your friends, Alex! Did you ever stop to think about how sad we would be if you died?! DID YOU?! All of us...we all care for you! We're not going to let you just throw your life away! Next time you think about dying again, just consider everyone else's feelings for once!" Lloyd exclaimed, voice trembling.

Alex stared at Lloyd in shock, then looked at the concern and shock in everyone's eyes after Lloyd's speech. He looked at them one more time, and thought about what he had did.

Suddenly, Alex broke down. He started crying, sniffles turning into loud gasps, before weeping bitterly, thinking about what he had just done. Alex then, between sobs, looked at Lloyd.

"L...Lloyd...th...than...thank...you..." Alex cried out, letting everything out, his perspective on his life changed.

_Maybe...maybe life...really is worth living for...how could I have been so stupid?_

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**And there the chapter ends! I'm so sorry it took so long, my laptop broke down twice, so...sorry! Anyway, this chapter was **_**very **_**different from what I planned, but I thought that the chapter should be less actiony and dealing with Alex's thoughts of the value of his life, which, as we all know, he had little value of it, so sorry that this chapter was so serious. Now that that's over with, here's Tribilin's profile.**

**Tribilin Hemoses: Green haired man, assistant to Valvus. Very sadistic, he enjoys torturing people both physically and psycologically.**

**Age: 29. Hair color: Green. Eye color: Blue. Weapon: Fists/Gauntlets.**

**Voice actor: Liam O'Brian. Seiyuu: Bin Shimada.**

**Name origin: An alias of Luis Garavito, a sadistic serial killer in Columbia. "Hemoses" is derived from the word hemo, meaning blood.**

**Well that's it! Please review! If you have any questions concerning the story, feel free to either e-mail or IM me! (My e-mail's in my profile.) Goodnight, and I promise I'll have next chapter up sooner, maybe after Christmas!**


	14. Chapter 13: Agricultural Forest

**Hey everyone! It's me, Final Poke Mario Fan, presenting the next chapter! Let's read!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 13: Agricultural Forest

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_A week after the capture of Castle Arcos..._

Valvus was sitting down in the strategy room of Lavard Castle. This strategy room was a square table with about fifty chairs surrounding it. Valvus was sitting at the edge of the table. Next to him at the left was Siltran, who was currently staring at the figures across him. Sitting to the right of Valvus, in the three chairs to the right, were three people. They all wore the same silver armor, with a black visor over their helm. The helms had two points sticking up out of them, making their heads look like those a jackal, though their actually faces were unable to be seen because of their helms, similar to Belladonna. One knight had a blood red cape, the second had an ocean blue cape, and the last had a forest green cape. (A/N: The Silver Knights are meant to look like the three knights from **Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep**)

Next to Siltran was a scholar, who wore a green robe over a black shirt, with brown pants. He had silver hair, and wore some glasses, which were over his brown eyes, and wore a hat with a silver star on it, symbolizing his position of the lead scholar of the castle. Several more scholars were sitting down in the room, all staring dilligently at the center of the table. In the center of the table was the blue light that showed Darius was watching them. The blue light had been widened heavily so that everything on Darius side could be seen. Next to Darius in the light was a strange table where a stone tablet lay, hieroglyphics written on it. Two seperate blue lights were also shining, where Tribilin and Belladonna's faces lay, Darius using his power to display them so they could watch the meeting.

Valvus cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, I'd like to begin the meeting. Darius, explain to me what the tablet is."

"Yes, Master Valvus. Apparently, our excavation teams in the Hamrabi Ruins retrieved fragments of the tablet along with the second and the fourth. After a month, they finally managed to put all of the pieces together and stuck them using magic to retain their original shape. Considering the fact that they were uncovered along with the second and fourth, we believe that they are related to the Ruins of Jezid along with the four items. We were thinking that maybe after your scholars and the Silver Knights looked at it, you could possibly learn what it says." Darius explained.

Valvus nodded. "Good work, General Darius. Tribilin, Belladonna, do you have any clue what this tablet means?"

Tribilin shrugged. "What do you expect? Do I look like your damn translator here?"

"Sorry, Master Valvus. I don't know what it means." Belladonna replied, a slightly unsure tone in her voice when adressing Valvus.

Valvus seemed to notice this. "Hmm? General Belladonna, is something wrong?"

"N...no sir. Nothing's wrong." Belladonna replied, caught slightly off guard, a frown behind her helm.

"...Well, I'll leave it at that for now. General Darius, please zoom in on the tablet so that we can attempt to translate it." Valvus stated, turning his attention back to Darius' light.

"Yes, sir." Darius replied. He then manipulated his hands a bit, and the image suddenly shifted to the tablet, which was clearly visible and readable from the view it was seen at. The scholars and the Silver Knights then looked at the tablet. The Silver Knights then started speaking to each other in a strange language that no one could understand, then they turned to Siltran and spoke in their language.

Siltran turned his head towards Valvus. "They said that the tablet is written in Ancient Mumeiniam. According to them, they can translate it, but it'll take several minutes. They want the scholars to examine the stone to tell them the age of the tablet through an Identify spell scroll that we picked up in the Zenithia world while Darius channels the spell through the portal."

"Can that be done, Darius?" Valvus asked.

"Yes sir. I just need to make a fourth light in order to do that. It will be very hard, but I'm willing to do it." Darius replied.

Valvus nodded. "Very well. Darius, open the channel."

Darius nodded, and began focusing energy into his hand, a pale blue light surrounding his arm. After a few seconds, he shot the light out. Over in Lavard Castle, a light appeared, with an image of the tablet on it, with a small blue circle emerging from the light. Darius then started panting, sweat flowing down his face.

"Darius! Are you all right?!" Belladonna asked, concern in her voice.

"I'm...I'm alright, Belladonna. It's just that the strain of opening four image lights is getting to me. I've never really opened so many at once." Darius replied, still panting.

Valvus then turned to the scholars. "Use the Identify spell on the tablet."

The lead scholar nodded, and then started casting. A few seconds later, he finished casting, and a white, circular light emerged from his hands. The light headed towards the pale blue light where the tablet was, and hit it, the circle appearing through the image. The circle then spiraled around the tablet, then dissapeared. Some words then appeared in front of the lead scholar's face.

"Hmm...well, the first part of this confirms what the Silver Knights have told us...the stone apparently is made out of sandstone...and dating places the age of this tablet...around 6350 years ago." The lead scholar stated. There were murmurs all around the table after this, everyone seeming surprised, Valvus included in all of this.

"6350 years ago...that puts the stone around the creation of the first Descenders!" Siltran exclaimed.

Valvus nodded. "Indeed. And if these fragments were found along with the second and the fourth in the Hamrabi Ruins...this can obviously not be a coincidence. The fourth and the stone are definately connected. It's likely that this tablet could tell us the key to how the fourth works. Siltran, tell the Silver Knights to translate this as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master Valvus." Siltran replied. He then turned to the Silver Knights, and repeated what Valvus had ordered in their own language. They turned to Valvus and bowed, then looked at the tablet intently. After about twenty minutes, they had written something on paper, and passed it over to Siltran. He read it over, then turned to Valvus.

"According to the translation the Silver Knights have give us, it's as we feared. The fourth one is indeed the safety measure. But there's something much worse in here as well..."

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_Castle Arcos, late afternoon_

Alex stood on the outside walls of the majestic castle, examining the fallen remains of the tower he had destroyed last week, the orange sky engulfing him. His strength had returned from the time he had shot down the tower, but he still had a little bit of trouble walking. He kept staring at the tower, a silent tear trailing down his cheek. He then apparently started praying, bowing his head to the tower. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, and turned around, seeing Kratos, his head turned towards Alex. Alex then quickly wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"Oh, hey Kratos. Is there something you need?" Alex asked.

"...So, you were saying a prayer to the people that died on your attack on the tower?" Kratos asked, ignoring Alex's question.

Alex gasped, but quickly regained his composure. "...Yes. I thought that they battled well and honorably, and therefore, felt they deserved to be remembered, and so I pr..."

"Liar." Kratos simply replied.

"W...what?! What was that?!" Alex angrily retorted.

"Your prayer was not for a noble reason like that. You felt guilty about their deaths, didn't you? You feel grief and sadness over their deaths and you wish for forgiveness. Jade has told me about how much you hate killing, so it's natural that you should feel that way." Kratos explained, staring down Alex.

Alex's angry face instantly dissapeared and was replaced by a frown, more tears rolling out of his eyes. "I...I...you're right, Kratos...I do want forgiveness. All I can feel right now is guilt. Pure guilt. I have never killed that many people before, and it makes me sick just thinking about it. I know this is war, but that doesn't mean that I can't feel guilt, right?! I...I have feelings too. Just because I may be a Descender doesn't make me inhuman, right? Right?"

"Alex, stop it. You're beginning to sound like you're losing it." Kratos bluntly stated.

Alex slowed down, and took a few deep breaths. "Yeah...you're right again...I must be on the edge. Lately, I've been questioning my own...value to the world. Not just the army, but the world."

Kratos' eyebrow raised. "Really? What exactly do you mean?"

"When I was reborn after the two months and learned of the Pascan force coming, I came to a conclusion. Descenders have no inherent value to the world. Our kind only live to protect our own worlds, then we dissapear again. With that in mind, I realized that I had no real purpose. Any relationships I formed would be meaningless in the end, and anything we try to do to create a normal life for ourselves is useless. Up until four days ago, I've been resigned to my fate: fight and defeat the Pascan opposition, then I'd dissapear...for good, this time."

"However, what happened four days ago has put my beliefs into confusion. I have had little value of my own life, _very _little, in fact. That's why I barely hesitated to use the destruction light power I possess. But when I woke up after that, Lloyd immediately yelled at me. He basically called me an idiot and said that I was stupid to openly throw away my life, as no one should die meaninglessly, and that I should think about other people's reactions first before I go into an incident where I try sacrificing myself."

"This has put my beliefs into disarray. I don't know what to think anymore. I now realize that my life is important to other people. However, one thought is preventing me from changing my beliefs. That thought is, so what? Even though my friends care for my life, in the end, it might not matter. By the end of the war, I'll either have died in the course of the war, or dissapear in the end after completing the task that has been laid out for me by the World Tree. Because of this, I'm confused about how I should proceed."

"I'll be honest, Kratos, I don't know what I should do. The way I see it, there are two paths layed out for me. In the first path, I could continue to accept my fate and continue to think I have no value to the world, and just ignore how other people feel for me because in the end it won't matter. In the second path, I could renounce my beliefs and accept that other people care for me, and just live out life. I believe that everyone goes through a decision like this in their life. However, I still don't know what to do. Kratos, tell me, which path should I take?" Alex asked.

Kratos shook his head. "I can't tell you that."

"What!? Why not?" Alex asked in confusion.

"It's as you said. Everyone must make this sort of decision in their lifetime. However, in the end, it is they alone who have to make that desicion. I can't help you make the desicion. However, I will give you one piece of advice. Choose what you believe is right. Don't let others influence your decision through pressure or false beliefs. I...I did that for my decision, and I made the worst mistake of my life. I think and regret my decision every day. Don't let that happen to you. Just do what you think is the right decision, and you'll find the way. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go." Kratos replied, walking away from Alex.

Alex stood there in silence after Kratos' words, watching several soldiers pass by him. He then lowered his head, and watched the afternoon sun descend slightly, looking towards the fallen ruins of the tower once again, seeing the shadows obscure the area. He then looked around, noticing the sun's rays diverging around him, and he then sighed.

_Seriously...what must I do? I don't know which decision is the better one. The good and bad points of both contradict each other, and there's no clear way to tell which to do. While I have many friends, none of them would probably know the answer either. Maybe...maybe if I find the final piece of the puzzle that's my life, I'll be able to find an answer...but what? What could possibly be the answer?_

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_Next morning..._

Alex was sitting down in the strategy room, waiting along with everyone else for Kratos and Jade. They had been all called for an urgent meeting by the two, and were told to wait in the strategy room. He was silent, still unsure of his decision, lost in thought. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the door, and turned his head to see Jade and Kratos enter the room. Everyone then turned silent, and then Jade cleared his throat.

"I see you're all here. Good. Now, we have an emergency that is ration related that we must address." Kratos began.

Jade continued. "It turns out that we're beginning to suffer food shortages around this region. This area is a major food supplier for all of Pasca, so this is a major problem. According to scouts that we've sent around this region, the farmers of local villages have explained that majority of their crops are grown in the Forest of Romof, which is directly south of here, since their land has been rendered in fertile after a war several years ago, so they now farm in the forest."

"However, apparently a powerful monster has appeared in the forest and is blocking all of the crops, so farmers can't go there anymore. Because of this, food production rate has grinded to a complete stop. If it keeps up like this, everyone in this region will starve to death."

"Therefore," Kratos continued, "we have decided to go on an Ad Libitum type of mission to put an end to this so that crops can grow again. Here's how it will work: once again, we'll divide into two groups. One group will go to retrieve the other crops, while the other group will be charged with killing the monster. We can't get the crops after the battle because we might risk destroying them when fighting the monster, so the attack team will have to buy some time for the retrieval team. That is all. I expect to see all of you ready at the gate in an hour."

"Wait. Do we have any information on the monster?" Raine asked.

"Well...according to the farmers, all that we know is that the monster is large. They ran away before they could see any of its features." Jade explained, raising his glasses up with his fingers.

Stahn raised his hand, then brought it down. "Then...do we have an idea of where the crops or the monster are? And why are they growing crops in the middle of a forest? I've never heard of crops being grown in a forest before."

Kratos nodded. "That much we know. The farmers tell us that they grow their crops in the center of the forest, and the monster has taken residence there. Strangely, however, the monster has eaten none of the crops. Normally, the animals there are docile, but for some reason, they've become aggressive recently. The forest is fertile, so they grow the crops there. According to the farmers, after their land became infertile, a scientist found a way to make the forest fertile and bountiful. He succeeded, and ever since then, the forest has been a major source for food in Pasca."

"Huh...the monster hasn't eaten any of the crops? That's weird. If it wasn't going to eat the crops, why would it go all that way to guard them?" Luke remarked.

Jade shook his head. "We don't know. It doesn't really make much sense. However, whatever reason it's there doesn't matter. All that's important is that we kill the monster in order to retrieve the crops. It's autumn now, and we need to get the crops out before the season kills them all off. Meat alone won't be able to sustain the army during the winter, which we'll probably spend fighting in Scollance, the mountainous region of Pasca. Any more questions?"

No one spoke up, satisfied.

"Very well. Like Kratos said earlier, we will be meeting out in the gate in an hour. Get all of your equipment ready. The groups that you will be in will be the same ones that you were in previously. That is all. You are dismissed."

Alex then stood up out of his chair, along with everyone else. While he had been listening, his mind was still trapped on deciding which path to take. He went up to his room, sitting down on his bed, head lowered while he continued to ponder the decision

_Argh! Damn it, I don't know what to do! Why the hell is this such a hard decision? I know the answer to that already...because it's a life altering decision. But...but I don't know...which path do I need to take? If I stay isolated, I'll be hurting myself and I'll be the same as always. If I embrace life, it'll hurt my friends when I dissapear. Either way, I'll be hurting someone...there's one path I want to take, but it's impossible. As a Descender, I'll never be able to take that path. Damn it! Why did I have to be a Descender. All I want is to be a human, not a Descender!_

Tears began rolling down Alex's cheeks. Unable to contain himself any longer, he began crying loudly, his sobs echoing through the room, his body shaking, his face filled with grief and a look of hopelessness.

_Please...please...I don't...I don't want to be alone anymore. Anything...I would do anything...just to escaped the cursed state that I'm in. I want to take a path where I am happy. Even if I'm fighting for my world's sake, can't I be a little selfish? Why can't I ever achieve happiness? Someone...anyone...help me...help me escape this hell. All I want...is to be human and live an ordinary life...a path of happiness._

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_Fourty five minutes later..._

Alex stood at the gates of Castle Arcos, his face determined. He stood next to Eugene, his hand flickering towards his sword. Eugene noticed this, and suddenly, an idea seemed to come to his head. He turned to Veigue for a minute, who was standing nearby, and the two of them seemed to talk for a second, with Veigue nodding at the end of the conversation. Eugene then turned to Alex.

"Alex, do you have a minute?" Eugene asked.

Alex seemed a little surprised, but nodded. "Uh...sure. What is it?"

"Me and Veigue were just talking now, and we thought that we would like to teach you a special type of technique. Are you interested?" Eugene replied.

Alex suddenly gasped, and an excited glance passed his eyes. "A new special type of technique? That's one offer I can't refuse! What is it?"

Eugene smiled. "I thoughtso. Now then, please come with me and Veigue to the courtyard. We'll need room to show you the technique."

Alex nodded, and then Eugene began walking alongside Veigue to the courtyard area, Alex following, their footsteps echoing the white marble halls of the castle. When they reached the gate to the courtyard, Eugene pushed it open, and the cool air of the crisp early October air passed through the door. Alex, Eugene, and Veigue walked outside, and they faced one another, Veigue standing with Eugene. A second later, Eugene cleared his throat.

"Ok, let's get started. Alex, let me ask you a question. You do know what a 'Mystic Arte' is, right?" Eugene asked.

"Huh? Of course I do. Everyone, inside them, has this sort of tension-like energy that builds up during a battle. When that energy reaches it's peak, we can release that energy and use it to use difficult artes known as 'Mystic Artes' that we could not do normally without that tension-like energy. Am I right so far?" Alex replied knowingly.

Eugene nodded. "Very good. That's correct. However, in me and Veigue's world, that 'Mystic Arte' system worked a little differently. Let me ask you a second question. I don't think you've ever done this, but has Kratos ever told you about 'Unison Attacks'?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I've never actually seen it before, but Kratos tells me that with it, he can stop an enemies' movement and attack in unison with at least one other person, and if certain artes are used by two people, they will an arte that can only be used when those two artes have been combined."

Eugene nodded. "That's also correct. Now, listen to me carefully. In our world, that is, me and Veigue's, instead of one person alone doing a Mystic Arte, two people at once combine their attacks, like a Unison Attack, and use a very powerful attack against the enemy. It's kind of like a mix of a Mystic Arte and a Unison Attack, which we call 'Secret Justice' attacks. We figured that you might be interested in learning it, so we decided to teach you how to do it. Now, me and Veigue can't create a Secret Justice attack, but we figured you might be able to learn one with Veigue. Interested?"

Alex, who had been looking at them with wide eyes, smiled. "Hell yes!"

"Good. Alright, Veigue, go over to Alex." Eugene stated.

Veigue nodded, and walked over to Alex. The two then stood side by side, staring down at Eugene. Eugene then cleared his throat, and turned to Alex.

"...Well, since you've never performed a Secret Justice attack before, let's just try something easy at first, all right? I was thinking, for instance, that you and Veigue maybe try a combination of...oh, maybe Zehhyojin and Omega Tempest, perhaps?" Eugene suggested.

Alex's excited glance quickly morphed into a horrified look. Even Veigue seemed a little startled. "You're...you're kidding me, right?"

Eugene shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"Wha...what? But...Eugene, if we combine those two moves, that would be the basic equivalent of Veigue swinging me like that baseball game they play on Earth! I'd be cut in half!" Alex frantically replied, panicking.

"Which is why Veigue will at first cast an Ice Charm on you." Eugene answered.

"...Ice Charm?" Alex asked.

"It's a skill that we've recently configured into the Secret Justice attacks. In it, one of the users casts a spell on the other, but before they do that, they use an elemental charm so that the person who the spell is being cast on doesn't feel pain from the spell. In this combination, Veigue will cast an Ice Charm on you, then freeze you. Once he's done that, he will hit you with Zehhyojin while you use Omega Tempest. The force of that alone should be enough to severely damage an enemy. Shall we try it?" Eugene suggested.

Alex gulped, and nodded. "Uh...sure."

"Alright then. Now..." Eugene started.

Just then, a bell began ringing from the inside of the castle, signaling that the time for departure was now. Alex secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as he was still nervous about the technique. Eugene then sighed.

"Oh well, it's seems we have to leave now. I'll teach it to you after the mission, alright Alex?" Eugene asked.

Alex nodded. "Alright."

The three then started heading off towards the gate, ready to begin the operation...

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_Forest of Romof, two hours later..._

The unit stood outside of the forest, all the Ad Libitum members present, with the exception of those who were still at Darlian. The forest, contrary to expectations, was not that thick. It reminded Alex of the Forest of Weald, with dirt pathways going through the forest into multiple branching paths. Tall thick trees covered over the forest, covering the entire area with shade, some light passing through the trees. Several animals walked along peacefully, a far cry from the vicious monsters of Terresia.

"Hmm...so this is the Forest of Romof, huh?" Nanaly remarked, scanning the area.

"It's...smaller than I expected." Rutee commented in disdain.

Jade shook his head. "Still, it is the source of a lot of the food in Pasca. Now that we're here, let's get to buisiness. My unit will go and hunt down the monster, while General Aurion's unit will go and retrieve the crops. Fortunately, it seems that the animals in the area are docile, so we should have no problem getting through the forest. Is that clear, everyone?"

Everyone nodded in unison, already familiar with the plan.

"Good. Then let's go." Kratos stated.

Alex then began walking forward, looking around the area, not seeing anything of interest. Shrugging, he kept on walking...

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_Center of the forest, ten minutes later..._

Alex looked in awe at the sight in front of him. For miles, all that could apparently be seen was the largest field of crops, thousands of them filling up the grassy rows of the area. A river was flowing alongside the crops, nourishing them and giving them life. All different kinds of crops, ranging from corn to rice, appeared above the grassy rows. Sunlight beamed down on the field, causing the plants to be able to live on, even through the autumn.

"Holy shit...this field is really huge!" Reid remarked, though his eyes were bugging out from the possibility of food all around him.

Garr nodded. "Indeed. I had heard that the field was big, but I wasn't expecting it to be _this _big."

"Amazing! I wonder how much time was spent into growing this whole field! Imagine all of the manpower that it took in order to grow everything here!" Raine excitedly exclaimed.

Jade eyed the area. "On your guard, everyone. There's no telling when that monster will show up."

"Got it. Then..." Leon began, but he suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. He turned around, and a horrified look suddenly appeared on his face, eyes widened in what seemed to be fear. Everyone else turned around, and they all gasped out in fear.

"Holy crap!" Alex exclaimed, staring at the sight in front of them.

In front of everyone was a _giant _monster, approximately 20 feet tall. It had purple fur all over it's body, wearing what appeared to be spiked armor. It's head resembled a panther's, with slanted eyes and a wide, open mouth filled with teeth that could cut anything to pieces. The monster had sharp claws about three feet long, and stood up on two legs. It growled out, and let out a huge roar.

"Ah, shit." Chester remarked.

Jade was the first one to snap out of the trance. "Everyone! This is it! Get your weapons ready! We have to kill this thing if the crops are going to be retrieved! The fate of all of Pasca's population depends on it! Arche! With me, start focusing your strongest spell on the monster's upper body! Chester, start using your arrow techniques on the monster's upper body! Everyone else, get in close and attack its legs!"

Everyone else snapped out of their trance and then immediately got into fighting positions, drawing their weapons. Alex then ran a bit to the left towards the monster, launching off three Demonic Chaos shockwaves. They hit the monsters legs, but barely seemed to faze it, shrugging off the attack like it was nothing. In the air, Arche cast a Cyclone spell, the tornado engulfing the monster, only to have the monster open its mouth and breath out a dark purple substance that hit Arche, causing her to move back. Suddenly, Jade cast Thunder Blade, but the monster moved its body so that its armor absorbed the spell, the electricity discharging from the spikes.

Chester then pulled an arrow out of his quiver, lowered it, and used Dragon Slayer, the arrow breaking apart into several parts, hitting the monster right in the armor, which barely scratched the armor. The monster then raised its claws, and swiped at the ground, slashing across several of the ground fighters, injuring them. Quickly, Reid used a Rising Phoenix, which caused him to launch up into the air and hit the monster's hand, which made the monster show a little bit of pain. The monster then almost crushed Reid in its hands, but a quick Slag Assault from Luke stunned the hand, giving Reid enough time to escape.

Garr then quickly shot an arrow at the monster's throat, but the monster knocked it away. Veigue then ran up and used a Shuurenjin on the monster's legs, thrusting his sword several times, and the monster simply slammed it's legs into the ground, knocking Veigue away. Jade then cast Thunder Blade again, which crashed into the armor, leaving a very small crack behind. Leon joined in with his Demon Attack, slashing the monsters legs. Irritated, the monster then kicked Leon, knocking him several feet away, and he was almost instantly cured by Raine.

Arche then started circling the monster, drawing its attention away from the ground fighters. She then cast God Breath, the column of light falling down on the monster, causing the armor to crack more. Once again, the monster countered by shooting a purple substance out of its mouth, knocking Arche away. Luke then approached the monster and used Rending Thrust, swinging his sword upwards, and then using Swallow Fury, jumping into the air and slashing the monster in the chest several times, hitting it's armor, causing the crack to grow slightly.

Jade noted this. "Those of you who can, attack the armor! If we do so, it will be destroyed, and its weak point will be revealed! Go!"

Everyone nodded, and then changed tactics. Chester reloaded his bow, and used Giga Fang, his arrow suddenly growing about five times its size, which was then released, crashing into the armor, though it slightly dented it. Alex then used Omega Tempest, flying towards the monster's legs, then going up, cutting its legs and lower abdomen. No longer deeming the Ad Libitum members as nuisinces, the monster proceeded to get serious, knocking Alex away through the air. Alex flipped in midair and landed on the ground, being healed by Raine.

Leon then ran up and was about to use Swallow Talon when he looked at Luke and got an idea. He said something to Luke, who looked a little shocked at first, but he nodded. Leon then ran up and used Swallow Talon while Luke used Swallow Fury, and when Leon was falling downwards, the kick Luke sent from his Swallow Fury attack sent Leon flying up into the air, where he used a midair Demon Attack, slasing across the armor, leaving a giant crack in it. Leon then landed, and then Raine cast Ray, several beams of light falling from the sky and crashing into the monster.

The monster then got angry, and all of the spikes on its armor started glowing purple. Suddenly, the purple substance that came out of the monster's mouth earlier shot out of the spikes, hitting everyone, taking major damage. As everyone panted, Raine quickly cast Revitalize, the large circle coming out of the ground, healing light coming up, everyone's wounds sealing up. Jade then suddenly went into Overlimit mode, several circles surrounding him. He then glowed for a second, and suddenly, electricity started gathering in the air, Jade muttering an incantation. Finally, he cast the spell, Indignation, the volts of lightning crashing down to the earth with incredible force, causing everyone to close their eyes. When they opened them, the monster's armor was nearly destroyed.

Alex suddenly noticed a huge hole in the armor on the right side of the monster's chest. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

_Hmm...If I could just hit that spot, I could pretty much kill that monster. An Omega Tempest or a Rising Falcon could probably do it...but neither attack has enough force to get that high or far. So how could I..._

A second idea appeared in Alex's head at that moment. Like Luke several minutes ago, he got a shocked look on his face for the idea, but then sighed, realizing it was the best choice. Quickly, he ran back to the back of the battlefield, turning to Veigue.

"Veigue! I have an idea!" Alex exclaimed.

"Huh? What idea would that be?" Veigue asked, looking a little confused.

"Remember what Eugene tried to teach me today, that 'Secret Justice' move? I think now would be a good time to use it. Together, let's do the Secret Justice move that Eugene suggested, the combination of Omega Tempest and Zehhyojin! If we do it correctly, I think that I could kill the monster with the attack! What do you think?" Alex asked.

"Hmm...it just might work. Very well, I'll do it. First, I'll put the Freeze Charm on you, preventing you from ice damage. Then, I'll encase you in a special block of ice that will prevent you from feeling pain from the attack. Then, at the exact moment I use Zehhyojin, you use Omega Tempest. That should sent you flying farther and faster. Alright?" Veigue replied.

Alex nodded. "Right. Begin!"

Veigue nodded, and both of them started glowing from the start of the Secret Justice attack. Veigue's arm glowed icy blue for a second, then the light hit Alex, an icy aura around him. Next, Veigue created an ice block around Alex, sealing him into a ball-like shape, though Alex could move around fine. Veigue then raised his sword.

"Zehhyojin!"

"Omega Tempest!"

"FRIGID SKY EDGE!"

The two shouted these out, the final one shouted out in unison. Veigue brought his blade, surrounded by ice, downwards, slamming into Alex's ice block. Alex broke out of the ice block from this force, using Omega Tempest, though he was going twice as fast and twice as far. He crashed right into the hole of the armor, going straight through the monster's chest. The monster screamed out in pain, and suddenly, started falling over. Alex then came out of the monster through its shoulder from the second part of Omega Tempest.

Alex looked _very _intimidating at the moment, as his entire body and armor was covered in the monster's red blood, a fierce expression on his face. Everyone below him looked at him in what appeared to be approval and fear, scared slightly by his look. The monster breathed its last, and crashed into the ground, lifeless. Alex then started descending to the ground, and when he was close to the ground, used Rising Falcon, sliding down from the air to avoid breaking his legs. He landed, and stared at the monster for a few seconds...

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_Half an hour later..._

A sogging wet Alex walked out of the forest along with everyone else, an unhappy look on his face. He glared at Jade with what appeared to be a look of dislike. Jade noticed this.

"Why, what's wrong Alex? You don't look too happy." Jade sarcastically pointed out, a blank expression on his face.

Alex glared even more. "You know why, Jade! You're the one who did it to me!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you should..." Jade continued, the sarcastic tone still present.

Alex exploded. "You freakin' cast Blessed Drops on me! Not only was that very cold water, but the spell hurt as well! Why couldn't I have just washed the blood off me in the river?"

"Well, think about it. That river connects to all of the crops in the forest. If you had washed off in the river, the blood would have been contaminated, and would have poisoned the food, which would create a plague from the food, killing many Pascans. Now do you see why I used Blessed Drops on you?" Jade replied, the sarcastic tone gone.

Alex stopped, and lowered his head in embarressment as he realized Jade was right. "Y...you're right Jade. I wasn't thinking right at the time. I would have been making a big mistake at the time. Sorry for yelling at you."

Jade shook his head. "Well, now that we've got that settled with, we'll head back to Castle Arcos now. We'll probably end up attack the next area, the town of Baaz, tommorow, so get rested up."

Alex nodded. "Got it."

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_Lavard Castle, dining hall, that evening._

Valvus sat at the head of the table in the dining hall of Lavard Castle, eating some steak. The dining hall was one of the finest pieces of work in the castle, with a vast, wide room, and gold covered walls. Paintings from some of the greatest artists in all of Pasca lay on the walls, giving the room's look one of high quality. A wide fireplace lay in the middle of the right side of the room, logs burning. Above the table was a magnificent painting called _Armaggedon _by the famous artist Zech Ramille, which depicted a peaceful, serene skyline filled with angels and gods.

At the table itself, Valvus was dining along with Siltran, the Silver Knights, and the lead scholar. Siltran was currently eating some pasta, the Silver Knights were all eating various vegetables, and the lead scholar ate some chicken. As they were eating, Darius blue light appeared in the center of the table, Darius staring at Valvus, then bowing to him before him.

"Master Valvus, it has been done. The cargo from Baaz is on the ship and is on the way to Lavard as we speak." Darius stated.

Valvus smiled. "Good work, General Darius. What about the monster?"

"The UFTW forces took the bait. They went after it today and successfully killed it. Apparently, they plan to attack Baaz tommorow, but that won't be as much of a problem due to the shipment of the cargo."

Valvus nodded. "Yes. Using the monster as a diversion was a brilliant idea. We would have had to kill it sooner or later, but they did the job just right. If they had attacked Baaz today, then we'd have a problem. But, it seems they took care of it too easily. Did the study of the object find anything?"

"Yes. It took six months to study since it was from a foreign world, but the test results from the lab in Baaz will be sent along with the cargo. You can look at the results yourself." Darius answered.

"Good. Well, that's all for now, Darius. You may go back to your duties, General." Valvus replied.

Darius nodded, and the blue light dissapeared.

Siltran looked at Valvus. "With the power of that object, we'll be able to use it as a trick, diversion, and a power source all at the same time, right?"

Valvus nodded. "Right. With it, we'll be able to trick the UFTW forces, as well as use it to increase the strength of the Ruins of Jezid while we're at it. You five, Darius, and Tribilin are the only ones who know about it, so I'm trusting you with the secret of the Ruins of Jezid. Not even General Belladonna knows the truth about the Ruins. So make sure to keep secret, understood?"

"Yes, Master Valvus!" Siltran replied.

"Good. Now then, shall we continue eating?" Valvus stated.

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**Alright, how was it? Sorry it was a little late, but it was Christmas, and I got the whole .hack\\G.U. trilogy for Christmas, and I've gotta say, those are some of the best games ever! I could barely stop playing them, and I'm on Volume 3 now, so...yeah. Anyway, there are two important announcements, so read up!**

**ANNOUNCEMENT ONE: There is an important poll on my profile. Vote now, as it's incredibly important to me! You'll understand when you read the poll.**

**ANNOUNCEMENT TWO: Because midterms are coming up soon for me, I probably won't be able to update for several weeks because I'll be studying. Sorry, but school comes first, after all!**

**With that in mind, here's Siltran's profile.**

**Siltran: Valvus' personal assistant, he is completely devoted and loyal to Valvus, almost always by his side.**

**Age: 33. Hair color: Green. Eye color: Brown. Weapon: Initially a shortsword (more information later on).**

**Voice actor: Dave Wittenberg. Seiyuu: Nobuo Tobita.**

**Name origin: A combination of the words "silver" and "translator", as he is the translator for the Silver Knights.**

**Alright, that's all! Please review!**


	15. Chapter 14: Desperation

**Hello, as usual, it's me, Final Poke Mario Fan, here at the ready with the next chapter! Now that that's done, let's go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 14: Desperation

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_Town of Baaz, south of Castle Arcos._

Darius was currently standing in the middle of a pitch black bedroom in the town, the only light coming from the blue light viewer he had summoned, daybreak almost at hand. Next to his bed was a nightstand with a picture frame on it, though the picture couldn't be seen. In the blue light viewer was the image of Valvus, who was staring at Darius intently.

Darius bowed. "Master Valvus, the institute's staff has successfully evacuated, taking all of the research with them. How should we get them out of the city before the UFTW forces attack?"

"Quickly have a escort team take the staff to Shiroc. Write a letter requesting a fast ship to Galvanas Island and send it among the leader of the escort group. Have them present it to the head of the harbor, Kelbos. He is an old acquaintance of mine, as we fought together in the Lavard-Granvoise Conflict of 1577. He won't refuse a request from me, since, after all, I saved his life in the war. We have to send the researchers to Galvanas Island because at this point, the rest of Pasca isn't safe at the moment, with the war going on." Valvus explained.

"What about the institute?" Darius asked.

Valvus sighed. "...Burn it to the ground. I hate having to burn down such a magnificent institute, but if the UFTW forces capture the city, they could find evidence concerning the cargo you had sent on the ship to Lavard yesterday. If they do that, they could find out all sorts of things about it, including where it's from and the fact that it's a decoy and possibly the truth of the Ruins of Jezid. Therefore, you are to burn the institute, but be sure to have a mage create a water field around the institute the prevent any other part of Baaz getting burned down."

Darius nodded. "Understood. What are my instructions if me and the rest of my unit are forced to retreat?"

"If you lose the battle? Then you too should head to Shiroc. Once there, a military ship will pick you up, and you and the rest of your unit will take the ship, which will head to Helmos. At the rate the battle in Granvoise is going, we'll most likely lose in the region, seeing that over the past 27 battles fought there, we've only won 10 of them. Therefore, we'll need to reinforce Scollance as much as possible, as seeing that it's the central continent of Pasca, it will be vital to control it. Are you clear on your instructions, General Darius?" Valvus explained.

Darius bowed again. "Yes. I understand completely, Master Valvus. While I'm at it, may I ask on how the developement of the MPS is going?"

"Production is going at an average rate so far. It's a difficult weapon to make, but when it's finished, I think you'll like how it works. We have just put in the synthesized magnesium in them right now, so it could potentially be combat ready...but it still lacks the materials that'll give it enough power. Is that alright?" Valvus replied.

"Of course. If you'll excuse me, Master Valvus, I need to complete some last minute battle preparations now, so I must go." Darius stated.

Valvus nodded. "Of course. Good luck in battle, General Darius. By the way...as you know, Tribilin still holds the device that was created at the institute that can control the cargo that was shipped yesterday. Tell him to activate the power of the object using the instructions that are included with it. Once that happens, tell him to transfer 25 percent of the power to the Ruins of Jezid...tell him he's free to pick whatever target he wants, but tell him to choose wisely, as once he uses it, we won't be able to use its power like that for another four months. Can you do it?"

"Alright, I will. Thank you, Master Valvus." Darius replied, and then the blue light viewer dissapeared. Darius then lit a candle that was on the nightstand next to him. He then grabbed the picture frame that was on the nightstand, staring at it intently. The picture showed a slightly younger Darius, who was smiling. In the picture, two other people were standing next to him, but because of the candle's lighting, their faces were unable to be seen. A silent tear trickled down Darius' eye as he continued to look at the picture.

"Soon...I swear it...soon, Master Valvus' plans will come to fruitation. And when they do...I'll finally be reunited with you two again. Just wait a little longer...I'll be there soon..."

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_Castle Arcos, courtyard, three hours later_

Alex was standing in the courtyard, panting. Standing opposite of him was Stahn, who was also panting. Alex had decided to start sparring with everyone in the Ad Libitum group, as he felt by fighting people with a variety of fighting styles, he could come up with some strategies to use against Pascan soldiers who used the same type of weapon. However, he had mainly been sparring with Senel and Veigue, as he felt that observing them would help him when fighting Tribilin and Belladonna, as he didn't know what weapons Darius or Valvus used.

"...huff...huff...not...not bad...Stahn..." Alex panted out. He had seen Stahn fight before, but Alex was still trying to figure out what sort of tactics to use on Magic Knights, which Stahn was. Observing his fighting style, Alex had realized that unlike physical attacks or physical artes, spells could actually start breaking down his Guardian arte, and could weaken it to a point where it was ineffective. He had then realized that he should start working on developing a Guardian arte that could resist spells fully.

"...You're...huff...not that bad yourself." Stahn replied. Stahn then sheathed his sword, then a few seconds later, he seemed to glance at it with a somewhat annoyed look, leaving Alex confused. Suddenly, without warning, Reid came running outside, a panicked look on his face, his eyes wide and a horrified look in them, and Alex suddenly grew worried.

"Reid? Is something wrong?" Stahn asked.

Reid panted, his whole body seeming to be frantic. "Both...both of you...come quickly! Something...something horrible has just happened!"

Alex gasped. "What?! What is it?"

"I'm...I'm not one hundred percent sure of it...but come inside! You'll find out more there!" Reid replied quickly, running back inside. Alex and Stahn nodded, and quickly ran inside the castle...

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_Castle Arcos, interior..._

Alex and Stahn ran inside the hall of Castle Arcos, only to find it in chaos. People were running everywhere, shocked looks on their faces, the Ad Libitum members panicking, heading to the strategy room. Alex quickly followed Reid to the strategy room, and as he entered, he could hear various sounds coming from the room, from yellling to sobbing. Wasting no time, Alex opened the door, seeing all of the Ad Libitum members standing up, multiple expressions on their faces.

"What...whatever just happened, it's been enough to shock everyone in this room." Stahn remarked, looking around.

Alex scanned the room. He immediately focused on Kratos and Jade, who both had grim faces. Others, such as Rutee and Luke merely had very shocked looks on their faces. But the most horrible reactions were to the right, where Lloyd, Colette, and Raine had broken down into intense tears, crying with each other loudly. As he viewed the scene around him, Alex was filled with a sinking feeling. Mustering all his strength, he turned towards Kratos.

"K...Kratos...what...what happened? What has happened that has brought everyone into this state?" Alex asked.

Kratos stared at Alex with a very serious face. "Darlian...was destroyed an hour ago. No survivors."

At the words, the defense that Alex had brought up to protect him from the worst case suddenly shattered. He gasped loudly, and a horrified look filled his face, terror all over it. "How...how do you know?"

"An enemy messenger just arrived, and gave us this strange device that worked like a camera. On it...was a video of Darlian being destroyed by a strange green light. A check over of the video confirmed it was completely authentic, with nothing altered in it. Darlian really has been destroyed, with no survivors left over." Kratos replied.

Alex then suddenly broke down, tears also beginning to flow from his eyes, looking at the ground. His thoughts then overcame him as he was lost in his mind at the moment.

_Darlian was...Darlian was...destroyed...about 137,000 people gone in a second. 137,000 innocent lives...our friends were in that city...Genis...Jay... Cless...Harold...they're all dead... How...how did this happen? Who...who the hell did this?! What did any of them do to deserve this? Why? Why? NONE OF THEM EVER DID ANYTHING WRONG! WHY? DAMN IT! DAMN IT!_

Suddenly, laughter rang out through the room. "Heh heh heh heh heh! The look on your faces is just priceless at this moment! It's absolutely stunning! There's nothing better than to see people crushed by the death of love ones! I swear, this is why I love my work! To see people in this state! It feels so wonderful to bring such anguish to all of you!"

When Alex heard the voice, his blood started boiling, recognizing the voice. "Tribilin...WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU BASTARD?!"

As if on cue, one of Darius' blue light viewers came into view, with Tribilin staring out of the light with a wide grin on his face, his arms behind his head. Alex immediately noticed they were covered in fresh blood, clearly not his own. Tribilin was sitting down in the middle of a moving vehicle with a dark interior. Behind him seemed to be a steel door with bars over a small window like square on it. Alex's face turned into one of malice.

"Tribilin...you bastard...what the hell are you doing here?! Why the hell are you here?! _How _the hell are you here anyway?!" Alex growled with intense hatred in his voice. Everyone else suddenly grew quiet, staring at Alex, staring at him in surprise as he was showing a side he had rarely ever shown anyone before, no one even _daring_ to speak up.

"Heh heh heh...have you forgotten? My fellow General Darius has the power to see anyone in the world with his powers, displaying through blue lights. He also has the ability to allow multiple people to see the image at once, and the light appears to the people. That's why. Or...maybe you forgot all about it after I told you about the way I happily dissected your Descender friend Mormo alive?" Tribilin explained.

At that moment, Alex was about to explode, but, remembering Prophet's advice to control and conserve his anger around Tribilin, Alex barely managed to contain his anger. "What do you want, Tribilin?! I trust this isn't a courtesy call?"

Tribilin did some mock clapping. "_Very _perceptive, Terresian Descender. It would seem you're not as stupid as I thought. I just came here in order to discuss the city I destroyed an hour ago, along with having a nice chat with all of you."

The lid on Alex's anger nearly broke off as he heard Tribilin's words. "You...you..._you're _the one who destroyed Darlian! You're the one who killed all those people! You son of a bitch..._you_...I will...I will...I'LL KILL YOU!"

Tribilin only smirked wider. "Well...it seems you haven't improved or changed a bit since our last meeting, have you? But, I'm not worried. No, I am not worried at all. Who cares about how many people died in that pathetic city? Pasca is filled with over 40 million people, losing one city isn't going hurt. Besides...I was careful to avoid hitting the vital spots in the city. Instead of taking out the heart of you immediately, I've aimed to slowly kill you in that area. After all...in this vehicle with me is a _very_ interesting cargo."

"Cargo? What do you mean?" Reid asked.

"Heh heh heh heh...I'm glad you asked. You see, after I destroyed the city, I found something very interesting in a certain part of the city. I think that these pieces of cargo that I acquired will make _very _fun tools to play with. It's so exciting! I can't wait to have my fun with the cargo...I'm sure you're interested in seeing it, am I wrong?" Tribilin replied.

"What the hell are you talking about? Just stop talking and show us this 'cargo' already!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"But of course. Now then, Darius, if you would, move your viewer over to the door behind me at the bars." Tribilin stated, talking to Darius. Suddenly, Tribilin stood up, and walked over to the door behind him. The image then started zooming over to the door, and a couple of seconds later, the viewer reached the bars, making what was behind the bars visible. As everyone saw what was behind the bars, there were some horrified gasps coming from everyone in the room, their eyes agape as well as their mouths.

Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold were each chained up to four steel slabs behind the door, their mouths covered by cloth, a droopy, tired look in their eyes, filled with terror. They seemed weak all together, barely any strength left in them, barely even bothering to muffle. However, when they saw the Ad Libitum team, their own eyes widened, though they didn't even muffle. Apart from their heads, the only other parts of their bodies visible were their feet and, in Genis' case, his right hand. Tribilin then turned back to the viewer, a wider smirk on his face.

"Well? What do you think of my new 'cargo', huh? They were so easy to acquire, barely alive in the UFTW headquarters in Darlian. I healed them, and then brought them back here. I thought, what the hell, I haven't had this much fun since I killed Mormo, the Yaoon Descender, so I decided to bring them back with me as gifts to my destination. Wonderful, isn't it?" Tribilin remarked, his face still filled with sadistic pleasure, his eyes gleaming in excitement.

At this point, Alex couldn't hold his rage back any longer. "TRIBILIN! YOU DAMN BASTARD! YOU...I SWEAR I'LL COME HUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU! FIRST, YOU KILL MY BEST FRIEND, AND NOW, YOU'RE GOING KILL MY FRIENDS! YOU PIECE OF SHIT...YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!"

"Now now, who ever said anything about killing? Usually, I would kill them, but this time, I've decided...to have a bit more 'fun' with them. When you get people like this, it would truly be a waste to just use them up right away, you know? So instead of disposing of them right away, I think that I'll put them to use slowly, like they should be used. Besides, as I saw from your reaction, these people could prove to be great bargaining chips against you, or, in layman's terms, 'hostages'. So, what are you going to do about it, Terresian Descender?" Tribilin answered.

Alex was about to yell back, but suddenly, he noticed Genis' fingers tapping on his slab in a strange fashion. A second later, Alex realized what it was.

_Genis is...trying to communicate to us through Morse code! Everyone in the military was trained to learn Morse code in case of emergency situations where talking was not an option._ Alex thought. Quickly, he motioned to Kratos to buy time while he tried to translate the Morse code, and then motioned to Genis silently to continue, with Genis tapping B-U-Y/T-I-M-E/W-H-I-L-E/I/E-X-P-L-A-I-N/A/F-E-W/T-H-I-N-G-S.

"So, I take it that you won't accept any sort of trade for the hostages?" Kratos asked, while Genis tapped W-E-/A-R-E/B-E-I-N-G/S-E-N-T/T-O/G-R-A-N-V-O-I-S-E/C-A-S-T-L-E.

Tribilin smirked, and shook his head slyfully. "Of course not, you idiot. Why would I ever want to give up such valuable pieces of cargo? They're very useful as both hostages and my new 'toys'. No, I don't think I'll be giving these four up any time soon." Meanwhile, Genis tapped D-O-N-T/C-O-M-E/A-F-T-E-R/U-S/F-O-C-U-S/O-N/T-H-E/W-A-R. T-H-E/P-A-S-C-A-N-S/H-A-V-E/J-U-S-T/S-H-I-P-P-E-D/A-N/I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T/P-I-E-C-E/O-F/C-A-R-G-O/F-R-O-M B-A-A-Z/T-O/L-A-V-A-R-D.

"But...but why? Why would you go out of your way just to bring suffering to our friends?" Colette asked.

"Don't make me laugh. You just answered your own question. It is for the mere purpose to see people in pain that I do this. When I bring people pain, their true emotions and personality emerge. When that happens, it's then we can truly understand how disgusting humans are. That's why they need to suffer before they die...so that they can feel all the anguish that they've unleashed upon others. It's always been this way with people and it always will be that way." Tribilin replied, a slight tone of anger in his voice, though not directed towards anyone in paticular.

Meanwhile, Alex caught Genis tapping T-H-E-I-R/F-O-R-C-E-S/A-R-E/C-U-R-R-E-N-T-L-Y/M-O-B-I-L-I-Z-E-D/I-N/T-H-E/T-R-A-B-A-D-I-A-N/D-E-S-E-R-T./T-H-E-S-E/U-N-I-T-S/A-R-E/E-Q-U-I-P-P-E-D/W-I-T-H/A-R-M-O-R/S-P-E-C-I-A-L-L-Y/M-A-D-E/F-O-R/D-E-S-E-R-T/C-O-M-B-A-T/ B-E/C-A-R-E-F-U-L. A-L-E-X/T-E-L-L/R-A-I-N-E/I-M/A-L-R-I-G-H-T/A-N-D/T-O/T-R-Y/N-O-T/W-O-R-R-Y-I-N-G/A-B-O-U-T/M-E.

"Well then, I'd say I'm just about done talking to all of you. You've all heard what I need to say, so if you'll excuse me, I've got..._work_ to do." Tribilin stated, and as he turned his back towards the blue light viewer faded away, Tribilin's image gone from sight...

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_Tribilin's vehicle, unknown location._

As the blue light viewer dissapeared that showed the Ad Libitum members, Tribilin turned back to the other two blue light viewers in front of him, which showed the faces of Valvus, Siltran, and Darius staring at him. They all seemed to be angry at the sadistic general, a frown on their faces.

"Well? What do you think? That was one hell of a show, wasn't it?" Tribilin asked, smirking as he leaned back, his eyes gleaming, the anger that seemed to be there earlier gone completely.

Valvus gritted his teeth at Tribilin. "Tribilin...this is _not_ what I meant when I asked you to destroy a target of your choice. I meant you should fire it at one of the UFTW occupied forts with no prisoners located in them! Destroying a UFTW occupied town filled with hundreds of thousands of people is a completely different story! Sure, Darlian was occupied by the UFTW. But there were still all the innocent civilians in the town that were Pascans! There deaths were not necessary!"

Tribilin just kept smirking. "Why do you care so damn much? Once you find the third anyway, your going to start the Assimilation then, which is..."

"That's an entirely different case! That is different, _this_ was mass murder! Tribilin, you've gone to far this time! It was bad enough during the Yaoon slaughter incident, but this time, you've gone over the line. We can't have you running around like this anymore. Therefore, we have decided to punish you for your crimes, Tribilin!" Darius replied.

Tribilin stopped smirking. "Oh? And what is this punishment?"

"We have decided to give you one month of confinement in the Solitary Ward in the Gravoise Castle Dungeon Block X, with little medication. The walls are to be soundproof at their maximum value, with your meals and medication coming in from machines. In other words, you won't be seeing another human for another month. Got it, Tribilin?" Siltran explained.

Tribilin's face suddenly changed to a face of what was a combination of extreme anger and fear, panic evident in his eyes. "W...WHAT?! You can't do this to me! I'm one of your top three generals, Valvus! I'm vital to the war! You would never have been able to figure out how to do the Silver Knight Project and how to cause "State Jemummu Recovery" without me! You couldn't have done either of those things if I wasn't around, do you hear me?!"

Valvus shook his head. "It's true that we couldn't have done either of those things in the past without your help, Tribilin, you've got us there. However, your forgetting one important thing: you've already done both of those things for us. We don't need you at the moment to do anything for us. Therefore, we can lock you up without any qualms. And I can tell by the desperation in your voice that you deserve something like this."

"NO! Don't send me in confinement without medication! Please! I'm begging you!" Tribilin desperately cried out.

Valvus motioned to Siltran, and he nodded. Suddenly, a purple light appeared from his left hip, and then dissapeared. Siltran then pulled out a red chain, and then it suddenly glowed red. Siltran then spun the chain around three times, and suddenly whipped it at the blue light viewer displaying Tribilin. On Tribilin's side, suddenly the red light from Siltran's chain came out and seemed to bind Tribilin, tying him up as he fell to the floor. Tribilin stared at the screen in shock.

"How...how the hell did you manage to do that?" Tribilin asked, quivering on the floor.

"It seems you have forgotten my ability, Tribilin. Oh, and by the way, your wrong. Your one of the top _four_ generals of Master Valvus, not three. I would like to remind you of that before you go to jail." Siltran replied.

"F...four?!" Tribilin exclaimed.

"That's right, Tribilin. Siltran was just promoted to general a few days ago. He'll be taking your place temporarily while you're in prison, but will also be acting as the fourth General. He has also been placed in charge of the Silver Knights and will also be handling half of Lavard's force along with me, and you and Belladonna will still be handling the forces in Scollance." Darius explained.

"Grr...damn it! Damn you, Siltran! I swear, when I get out of this, you'll get your just desserts! Starting with...oh, I don't know, the Silver Knights? I made them into who they were, and if I hadn't helped, they would have died along with you! I'm the one that posses the materials to keep the four of you alive! I created them to become the Silver Knights, and I can just as easily cut of their life support, forcing you to watch as they die! How would you like a taste of the pain I recieved, Siltran? We'll be alike, both of us watching our si-" Tribilin ranted.

Suddenly, in anger, Siltran grabbed the glowing chain again and whipped it towards the blue light viewer, causing the red energy to hit Tribilin, shutting him up. Valvus frowned at this, slight anger in his eyes.

"Siltran! This is a serious offense! Just because Tribilin is being imprisoned does _not_ give you the right to attack him! I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time, it might be you imprisoned!" Valvus exclaimed.

"For...forgive me, Master Valvus, but I couldn't let him go on any longer!" Siltran replied. He then glared at Tribilin in anger and spoke up.

"Tribilin...don't you...don't you _dare_ insult them like that again! Threaten them again, and I'll hunt you down! Besides, we are not alike! Sure, we might have been in similar situations at one time, but at least I acted human during that time! While I helped mine out, what you...what you did to yours was inhuman! I can't believe what you did even today! I would never have thought that once in my situation, no matter how bad things turned out to be!" Siltran exclaimed.

Tribilin smirked one last time. "Hmph. It's called 'survival of the fittest'. I just did what I needed to do in order to survive. And if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now, would I? It is always human nature to do anything to survive, no matter what it takes, even if it's something like that! So what if I did do it? I did it to survive, and at the time, I frankly didn't care what I had to do, just that I had to live."

"You're incredibly sick...I'll never learn to trust you fully." Siltran retorted.

"Both of you, enough. Tribilin, you've recieved your punishment, and there's no way out of it. In one month, we will release you. Now Darius, cut the connection from him. This meeting is over." Valvus replied, and soon, both blue light viewers dissapeared, leaving Tribilin tied up in the back of the vehicle, the Ad Libitum members he had captured listening to the whole event in relief and fear...

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_Castle Arcos, entrance hallway..._

Alex stood at the front of the entrance hall of the castle, awaiting orders. After Tribilin had dissapeared from the briefing room, they had a brief meeting, where Alex explained what Genis had tapped, and that even though they wanted to save their friends, they couldn't do so at the moment because the Pascans were still more powerful than them when it came to manpower and occupied land. Therefore, they concluded that they had no choice but to continue conquering Pascan territory, and could only hope their friends stayed alive.

As the gate to the outside lifted, Alex kept walking without paying much attention, ignoring the scenery around him, including the forests and streams around, though most of the people around him were in similar moods, with about six other Ad Libitum members among him, Eugene leading this unit. Right now, all he really cared about was focusing his attention on Tribilin, a frown spread across his face. He then clenched his hand into a fist, his mind raging.

_Damn you...damn you, Tribilin! Playing with my friends lives...this is an unforgivable act...as if things with him weren't bad enough already, now you had to do this! You gain nothing from this except from pleasure...that is what sickens me the most...no one else I met killed merely for the fun of it, but you...you treat killing as if it's a pasttime. What kind of person is he? Maybe if I could, I might be able to get Prophet to somehow investigate him, since Prophet's a ghost. That'd work, right?_

_Wait, no, that's no good. Prophet said he could only be in the "real" living world for a short period of time. But...at least maybe I could ask him to go and check up on my friends and see what Tribilin's doing? Yeah...that'd work. Next time I see him, I'll ask him. But even so, there's one thing I've wondered about Prophet. Why is he helping me? What would two ghosts in one body gain from giving me advice? He's definitely not going to answer that question, so I have no choice but to play his little game now._

_However, it seems like...it seems like there's something that I can't put my finger on about some of the people that I've met in this past month and a half. Like we're all connected...Valvus, Darius, Tribilin, Belladonna, and Prophet. Their connection goes far beyond merely knowing each other, I know it. But...what could it be?_

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_Outside of Baaz, two hours later._

The army slowly approached Baaz, using the cover of the forest to conceal their forces while they plotted their attack. When they were all ready, they glanced at Eugene, as he was the leader of the operation. Quickly sneaking glances at the town to make sure they hadn't been spotted, Eugene cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Alright, now that we've all gathered, here's the plan. We'll have to begin first by destroying the locks that are keeping the gate, using a combination of various magically enhanced arrows. Once all the gate locks are destroyed, we'll pour into the city. This city is unlike most of the other cities we've been through. According to the city plans we acquired in Castle Arcos, the city is built specially so that half of it is elevated with the other half of it going downwards. That means that there are plenty of spots for the enemy to ambush us, so be careful." Eugene explained.

"Understood, General Gallardo." Most of the soldiers quietly replied back. Eugene then checked back at town, and then turned to Chester.

"Chester, there's something I need you to do for me." Eugene told him, beginning to pull something out of his vacuum-space sphere.

Chester looked up at him. "What is it?"

Eugene pulled out some binoculars and handed them to Chester. "I need you to use these binoculars to scout out the gate lock locations. When you figure out where they are, inform us, and we'll attempt to destroy them from here."

Chester nodded. "Alright, I think I can do that." He then took the binoculars and crouched down a bit in the underbrush, then began scanning the area. He zoomed in on the gate to Baaz, where he noticed several soldiers up on the walls, carefully looking around the area for the army. Chester suprisingly noticed there was a very small amount of smoke coming from the town, though he couldn't see where it was exactly. Focusing back on the gate, he quickly found six gate locks around the gate. Suddenly, he got an idea, and turned to Eugene.

"Say, Eugene, do you have any additional binoculars?" Chester asked.

Eugene nodded in response. "Yes, I have several of them in my vacuum-space sphere. Why? Is something wrong with the ones you're using right now?"

Chester shook his head. "No, it's not that. I was wondering if I could have this pair. I would like to try something out with them. Can I have them, Eugene?"

"Sure, I guess." Eugene replied.

Chester nodded. He then grabbed the binoculars, and quickly broke them in half, to everyone's surprise. Motioning for everyone to be quiet, Chester grabbed out his bow, and then grabbed one of the binocular lens. He then quickly grabbed a glue like substance out of his vacuum space sphere, and used it to put the lens in the middle of the bow, right above where the arrow would go. Using the lens, he began to look around with the bow similar to a sniper rifle. When he got the lens close to one of them, he pulled out an arrow.

Chester then quickly tilted the bow to the left, knowing that arrows never went into a straight line due to gravity. He then placed the arrow on the string, and strung the bow, focusing. A second later, he then used the Crimson Lotus skill, causing the arrow to become on fire (A/N: I know the attack is called Hell Pyre in the games, but because there's the sword skill called Hell Pyre as well in the games, I will refer to the sword skill as Hell Pyre, while calling the arrow skill Crimson Lotus, its Japanese name).

Quickly, Chester released the arrow, falling a bit backwards due to the recoil. The arrow launched forward, propelled by the flames, and crashed dead on to the lock, destroying it. The soldiers quickly noticed this, and began preparing their bows. The unit quickly started darting backwards as arrows were launched forward at the forest. Quickly readying the second arrow, Chester aimed for the second lock, and released another Crimsom Lotus arrow, destroying the second lock in the process.

"Ch...Chester! This is suicide! Your flaming arrows are making us easy targets for the Pascans!" Luke remarked, dodging arrow.

Chester sighed, preparing the third arrow. "I know, but we'll hopefully minimize casualties this way!" He then quickly launched the third arrow, the arrow hitting right on target again due to the lens. An arrow brazed his shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain. Wasting no time, he readied the fourth arrow, firing it at the fourth lock, and the fiery arrow destroyed the fourth lock. He then aimed with the lens again, launching the fifth arrow, though he missed this time. Cursing, Chester then quickly prepared another arrow, and then shot it at the fifth lock, destroying it.

Arche just sighed, dodging arrows on her broom. "What an idiot...as always."

Chester then pulled out the final arrow, locking on with the lens, and launched the arrow. It hit its target, and the gates suddenly fell over, the locks that were supporting it destroyed. The Pascans then quickly assembled to protect the front of the fallen gate area, weapons ready. Everyone then began running forward in a split formation, everyone scattering around. Alex then quickly moved his shield to block an arrow, and then charged forward, continuing to block.

Several minutes later, the UFTW forces were at the gates, engaged in close combat with the foot soldiers. Alex ran towards them, using a Demon Spiral Hammer, jumping into the air and slashing around at his targets, though he was being a bit more cautious this time after the incident where he had used his destruction light on Castle Arcos, as it had drained him completely...

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_Six hours later..._

_  
_Alex was panting in exhaustion, hiding in a cavern like area in the city. Eugene hadn't been kidding about how the city had been built, as there had been many times where the Pascans had ambushed them from almost what appeared to be out of nowhere, hiding in hidden passages in the lower part of the city. Grabbing a dead soldier's sword from nearby, Alex threw it at a soldier who was running downwards, the sword hitting the soldier straight in the back. Suddenly, Alex noticed someone who looked a bit familiar running through an alleyway followed by several soldiers.

Alex then decided to ambush the soldiers, running ahead in the alley in front of them. Seeing several soldiers in front of him, he quickly ran out and used Rising Falcon, jumping up and slashing his enemies, then using Tiger Rage to finish off the rest. When he killed them all, he heard footsteps coming from nearby, as he was now on one of the hills of the town.

"Very impressive, Terresian Descender. I've always thought you had some skill in you." A voice remarked.

Looking to his left, Alex saw Darius walking towards him. Darius was wielding his golden spear, blood covered on its tip. Looking at the weapon closely, Alex noticed there were two grey spots on it, though he didn't know what they were. Looking at him, Alex finally spoke.

"You...you're Darius. The one from Gilgulim on Terresia!" Alex exclaimed.

Darius nodded. "I see you remember me, Terresian Descender. It's been a while since our last meeting. I wasn't if I'd ever see you again in the flesh, and not just in my blue light viewers."

Alex then stared down at Darius. "Tell me: why did you attack Terresia! Why?! Was there any reason to attempt a genocide of millions of people?! What did we ever do to you?"

"...Master Valvus' words are not mine to speak. I have no reason to tell you what our plans were for Terresia. Besides, even if you did learn of our plans, what would you do then? Would you rush to Lavard in an attempt to stop us? In case you've forgotten, you have over three thousand miles of occupied land to go through. The teleportation power you stole from Master Valvus won't help you either, as far as I can see." Darius simply replied.

"..." _Damn, he's actually got a point. There's nothing I can really do about whatever their plan is at the moment,_ Alex thought.

"Then why are you fighting so hard for Valvus? What did he do for you?" Alex asked.

Darius stared at him. "To allow Master Valvus' ideals to come to fruitation. His ideals are mine as well. His vision is all I have left to live for. The only thing I live for is for Master Valvus' plan to succeed, and once they are, my goal will finally be accomplished."

"Huh? Goal?" Alex remarked.

Darius readied his spear. "Enough talk. Now then, I've always wondered just how good you were in battle. Let's see which of us is the stronger one, shall we? Fight me at your fullest!"

Alex then got his sword ready, swallowing a Lemon Gel. He then ran towards Darius, who raised his spear. Alex swiftly turned and swung his sword in an upwards motion, which Darius blocked with his spear. Darius then thrust his spear forward, causing Alex to jump backwards. Alex then jumped up and used Rising Falcon, but Darius merely responded by throwing his spear, causing Alex to quickly use his shield to block the attack, Darius catching his spear. Alex then landed on the ground, and then ran forward.

Alex then got close to Darius and used Victory Light Spear, bringing him and Darius upwards, but Darius grabbed his spear and slammed the flat side of the spear into Alex's stomach, parlyzing Alex and sending him crashing to the ground wrenched in pain. Darius then merely waited, and Alex stood upwards, groaning as he stared at Darius.

_Dammit, he's countering all of my aerial based attacks. It looks like he's also merely playing with me...otherwise he could have impaled me last time! Alright, that's it, time for a new strategy._

Alex then ran towards Darius from the left. He then used a Demon Fang, while Darius easily blocked the shockwave. Alex then swung his sword sideways, bringing it down towards Darius' legs. Darius suddenly jumped backwards and got his spear into a throwing position, with a dim grey light coming from the spear.

"Spear Boomerang!" Darius exclaimed. He threw the spear towards Alex in a spinning motion, and Alex simply ducked, avoiding the spear. He then smirked, realizing Darius had just basically wasted his weapon. Suddenly a few seconds later, the spear came flying backwards towards Alex, and the spear hit him at full force, causing him to yell out and crash on the ground. He looked up at Darius in surprise, glancing at his spear with shock.

"How...how did you send your spear flying right back towards me? That's...that's impossible! There's no way to send a spear coming right back towards you!" Alex exclaimed.

Darius stared at his spear, then exposed his gloves, which had strange gray-red stone like objects on them. "Usually, that would be true. However, through various ways of experimenting, we at Lavard managed to create a custom made spear that I designed. Normally, all objects, when thrown, usually have to be picked up after they're thrown. But in the mountain on the continent of Scollance, there is a special kind of stone that we found there called Leyed that we found...quite interesting."

"Leyed is a stone that send out strong polarity signals around the area in order to detect other kinds of Leyed. However, when Leyed is synthesized with magnesium, it creates a very interesting material that we have called Trekan. Trekan has the ability to be shut "on" or "off" by humans. When it's shut off, nothing happens. However, when it turns "on", it has the ability to draw in all nearby Treken towards it. Humans can control the movements where the Trekan come towards, making it deadly."

"My spear, on the inside, is made up of Trekan. Because of this, I can throw my spear in any direction, and it will always come back towards me. What more, with my gloves, also with traces of Trekan in them, I can change the flow of Trekan signals from positive to negative. When the flow is positive, I can cause the spear to come back towards me. When it's negative, while I can't send it back towards me, I can control as if I had psychic powers. In other words, I can move it in any direction except back towards me. I can control the flow of Trekan using my fingers." Darius finished explaining.

Alex got off the ground in shock. _Holy shit...how the hell can I fight an opponent like this who can basically control his weapon in every way possible!? It'll be like trying to dodge a Meteor Storm spell, only twice as fast and accurate! Think, Alex! There's got to be a way to defeat him!_

"Falling Flurry!" Darius exclaimed. He clenched his fists once, then stuck his index figers up and opened his hands. Like a marionette, Darius moved his fingers, and suddenly, the spear launched up from Darius hands, and flew towards Alex with the tip headed towards him. He jumped backwards, but the spear lunged towards him from the ground, and Alex used his shield to block the blow. He then started around Darius, the spear chasing him. Darius then clenched his fists again once, his pinkies sticking up.

"Lunging Gale!" Darius announced. The spear headed back towards him, and suddenly started glowing green. He then clenched his fists again, and then the spear flew at Alex, who tried to hit it, but the spear spun a 90 degree angle at him from behind, creating a powerful blast of wind that cut Alex a bit and threw him backwards. As he tried to get up, the spear started lunging towards him, and Alex rolled forward, the spear scraping his arm. As he grunted in pain, Darius clenched his fist again, causing the spear to come back towards him. He then clenched again, and extended his right pointer finger.

"Purgatory's Sacrifice!" Darius yelled. As Alex tried to get up, the spear flew above him. Clenching his fists multiple times, Darius carved a circle in the ground with the spear. Suddenly, black energy rose from the ground and the spear fell from above and crashed next to Alex, causing an gigantic explosion that made Alex scream at the top of his lungs. As the circle cleared, Alex was barely standing up, his sword slipping. Alex quickly used a Lemon Gel, swallowing it and feeling his strength temporarily return.

Alex then charged forward, the spear stuck behind him. Darius clenched his fist again, and the spear flew back to him. Darius clenched his fist again, and the spear flew at Alex, who dodged it. Darius clenched his fist again, and three seconds later, the spear came back. Alex suddenly got an idea.

_I've found it! His weakness! If I run in front of his spear, he needs to clench his fist and wait a few seconds for the spear to come back towards him, then he needs to send it out again. This gives me a few seconds to run in towards him and defeat him! Alright, I can win this!_

Alex then ran forward, Darius throwing his spear. Alex ducked, and performed Rising Falcon, knocking Darius up, leaving him defenseless. Alex then used Rending Tiger Blade, slashing Darius several times. Darius clenched his fist again when he was falling, sending the spear back towards him. Alex ducked, and rolled over to Darius and used a Demonic Chaos, catching Darius off guard. Darius shot the spear in the air and sent it falling downwards towards Alex, which hit him in the back. Alex yelled out in pain, and got up quickly.

Alex kicked the spear away, and used Demon Spiral Hammer, striking Darius up a few times. Darius then fell back, and landed on the ground, and managed to throw his spear, hitting Alex in the arm, knocking Alex downwards. As Darius retrieved his spear, he started smiling, glancing at some blue smoke that was rising up in the town.

"How interesting...you figured out a weakness to my spear strategy. Very impressive...I haven't had a battle like this in a while. But, it seems that our time is up for now, as I must be leaving. Become stronger, Alex...so that next time, we may truly have a longer and much more intense battle. I will make a promise to battle you once again some time in the future. You... you have not yet found your reason for fighting yet, I can tell by your eyes. Next time...next time we meet, I hope you have found something to fight for like me." Darius remarked.

Alex looked up, a small grin on his face. "V...very well. I hope I can battle again sometime as well. Though we are enemies, that does not mean...we can't make promises, right? I promise to fight you once again. Next time, I'll be stronger. And...and maybe, I'll have found my true reason for fighting."

Darius grinned slightly. "Until we meet again." He then ran off out of the town with several of his soldiers, thousands of soldiers following him, retreating Baaz. As Alex fell on the ground, Chester discovered him, running up.

"Alex! Are you ok?" Chester asked worringly.

Alex managed to make a small grin. "I...I'll be alright, though I could use a healer. I just...I just battled General Darius, though. What...what happened?"

Chester looked surprised when he heard about Darius, but he shrugged it off. "It's...it's the strangest thing. Even though the Pascans were winning the battle, when that blue smoke rose, they just retreated without warning. I have a strange feeling about this, however."

Alex coughed for a second, then looked at the blue smoke. "It...it does seem weird. Why would the Pascans retreat if they had a clear advantage? I agree with you, Chester...even though we won the battle and the town, something is not right here..."

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_Outside of Baaz_

Darius was currently running along with his soldiers, headed east. He quickly summoned up a blue light viewer, with Valvus' face showing up on the viewer. Darius frowned for a brief second.

"Master Valvus...are you sure it was alright for us to throw the battle and retreat? We could have won easily at that point and still have gotten the resources from the underground mining facility." Darius asked.

"It's best to lure the UFTW forces into a sense of security than fear. This way, not only have we caught them slightly off guard, but we've retrieved enough resources from Baaz's mythril mines to continue fighting for five more years. Therefore, I believe that retreat was a more clever action." Valvus replied.

Darius nodded. "You have a point. Alright, we're headed for the ship right now. We'll be there in about two days, so don't worry."

Valvus nodded. "Very well. I have Belladonna watching the Trabadian Desert right now, so there's nothing to worry about that region. We can leave it up to her, and we've informed her already of the retreat plan. Have a safe journey, General Darius."

"Thank you once again, Master Valvus." Darius replied, cutting off the blue light viewer. He then kept running, he and the rest of the soldiers running for Shiroc to make their ship...

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**Hello there! Did you like the chapter! Sorry for the delay, but as I said last time, I had to study for midterms, and I recently beat .hack\\G.U. Volume 3, so I was busy! But now that I've got both done, so I'll probably be able to update faster now. **

**Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, I have created a forum for this story! If you would like to post some comments, complaints, ideas, or some advice, feel free to do so! Now here's a slight update in profiles:**

**Tribilin Hemoses: Voice Actor change from Liam O'Brien to Crispin Freeman.**

**That's all. Good night, everyone!**


	16. Chapter 15: Phantom Spy

**Hello there to all of you! In case you haven't realized this, this is the next chapter of RMII! Well, let's take a look!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 15: Phantom Spy

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_Granvoise Castle, Prison Block R, daytime..._

Underneath the splendor of the building entitled Granvoise Castle was a dark, damp underground dungeon that spread for about a single mile underground, about the size of about three of four subway stations. Torches illuminated the halls of the brown stoned prison, a few rats occasionally scurrying by. Several guards walked around patrolling the twenty six different prison blocks, each set of guards patrolling their own block, with the exception of Prison Block X, which required no guards, as the cells there were securely locked.

In this prison lay a small variety of prisoners, basically just mainly UFTW soldiers and the occasional criminal, but other than that, there seemed to be very little people actually there. Most of the prisoners had looks in their eyes that made them look dead, similar to overworked slaves, a feeling of hopelessness in their faces. They had seen several soldiers coming and going, some of them to their deaths from Tribilin, known by the guards in the prison as "The Devil's Inquisitioner" due to his harsh methods in his tortures.

The jailer would also always be circling the prison at least four times a day, every six hours or so. Unlike Tribilin, he wasn't as excited about his work. While the pay was good, he had learned over the years that the most important thing for him to do when making his rounds was to never look his prisoners in the eye, or else he would feel sorrow and sympathy for the prisoners, away from their homes, doomed to rot in their cells and die eventually...still, the jailer had been surprised to hear about Tribilin's imprisonment, which was a slight relief to him.

As the jailer was walking around the prison in Block R, he briefly glanced into the cells, making sure to only look for a second to avoid seeing their eyes. He looked into the next one, his eyes briefly fallking upon the newest prisoners. According to the report he received about them, they were actually Class A prisoners, the highest priority. Apparently, they were key figures in the UFTW military force, who were basically the only survivors from the town of Darlian, which, up until now, had been the UFTW's main base.

The jailer then quickly looked at a clipboard he was holding, deciding to review their information one more time. He flipped pages through the clipboard until he found the names of the prisoners in front of him.

**Ad Libitum Prisoners**

**Overall information: Captured on Ecclesia (**A/N: The Pascan equivilant to October) **14th, 1599, from the ruined town of Darlian. Noted that they are some of the few survivors from the town, and are important figures to the UFTW military.**

**Located in: Block R, Cell # 743**

**Individual information:**

**Prisoner I: Captain Cless Alvein**

**Age: 17**

**DOB: Unknown**

**Sex: Male**

**Hair color: Blonde**

**Eye Color: Bue**

**Danger: High**

**Prisoner II: Harold Belserius**

**Age: 23**

**DOB: Unknown**

**Sex: Female**

**Hair color: Pink**

**Eye Color: Purple**

**Danger: Medium**

**NOTE: Prisoner is, under no circumstances, allowed to come into contact with General Belladonna.**

**Prisoner III: Jay (last name unknown)**

**Age: 16**

**DOB: Unknown**

**  
Sex: Male**

**Hair color: Black**

**Eye color: Grey**

**Danger: Medium-high**

**Prisoner IV: Genis Sage**

**Age: 12**

**DOB: Unknown**

**Hair color:Grey-white**

**Eye color: Purple**

**Danger: Medium**

**NOTE: Prisoner is, under no circumstances, allowed to come into contact with General Belladonna.**

The jailer then closed the pages, and began walking off. As he continued to make his round, he was in some thought.

_Huh...that's pretty weird...Why wouldn't those prisoners be allowed to come into contact with General Belladonna? There doesn't seem anything strange about them._

Meanwhile, back in the cell, Harold was sighing for what had to be the 50th time in prison, leaning against one of the stone walls next to Cless. On the opposite side of the wall were Genis and Jay, staring back at Harold, silent in the dark room. The room only had four cots on the floor, with one small pillow for each cot. All four of them looked tired, their eyes droopywith exhaustion, none of them trying to think about where they were and what could happen to them.

"Geez, this sucks. No one ever told me prison would be this boring!" Harold groaned.

Jay rolled his eyes. "Well, what'd you expect? A large bedroom?"

"..." Harold shut up from that.

Cless placed his hands behind his head. "Still...we're lucky that that Tribilin guy got jailed for a month. If he hadn't...I don't want to think about what we'd be going through right now."

Genis nodded. "Yeah...still, our friends managed to get the Morse code tapped message that I used during that time where we were chained up in the transport vehicle...so at least they know we're ok."

Jay shook his head. "Well, that's not exactly true. They don't know about Tribilin's imprisionment, so they probably are worried over us because they think we could be being tortured at the moment."

Genis lowered his head sadly. "...Yeah, you're right. Raine...I hate thinking about what she must be going through, believing me, her younger brother, to be going through excrutiating pain or death. I...I wish I could tell her I'm alright..."

"It can't be helped. Until the UFTW launch their assault on here, we probably won't be able to get out of here. They took all of our weapons, so there's nothing I can use to break out." Jay added.

"Yeah...and the cell, for some reason, is supressing my ability to cast magic, so I can't do anything either." Genis commented, sighing.

"Same here." Harold replied.

Cless then looked out of the door to the cell. "Hmm...the jailer just past by, but the guards seem to be away for now. Still, without any weapons or items, there's really nothing we can use to escape."

Genis then looked to the roof of the cell. "All we can do now is wait...and hope for them to come by a month. Although we're stuck here, I wish there was something I could do to help."

Suddenly, a white flash filled the entire area for a brief second, forcing the four to shut their eyes for a second. When they opened them, they saw nothing, causing them to look at each other, puzzled, but when they looked to the right, they were caught off guard, and they all gasped, seeing Prophet's figure standing right in front of him, his pure white clothing sticking out in the darkness.

Genis looked at him in shock. "Who...who are you? Are you...are you Death?"

Prophet looked at him, seeming to be momentarily amused, but quickly turned serious. "No, though we don't blame you for thinking so. We are both a friend and an enemy, in two different meanings. If you wish to give us a name, then call us Prophet."

"Prophet? Wait a minute...aren't you Alex's contact? He mentioned your name at a meeting of ours once." Harold asked.

Prophet glanced at Harold, a look of disdain behind his mask when he saw her, and lowered his head and muttered something to himself, though for some reason, only his high-pitched voice said it, but he then looked up, his voices returning to their dual nature. "Yes, that's correct. We are indeed Alex, the Terresian Descender's, 'contact'. We find out important information for him and tell him, although indirectly. We also have given him advice. We were the ones who told him about Gilgulim headed towards Terresia, as well as the plan for gathering 600,000 soldiers for the initial phase of the war. Though looking back at it, though, we probably should have told him to get more, as we did not anticipate the destruction of Darlian."

Cless stared at him. "So...can you see into the future or something like that?"

Prophet shook his head. "Not exactly. We have a different way of getting our information that is something we are not allowed to speak of. But let's just say that it has to do with our deaths."

"You're...dead?" Genis asked, Harold's eyes wide with glee at learning there was actually a ghost right in front of them.

Prophet then quickly looked up. "No time to talk about that. You can ask Alex about it when you see him again. We have more important issues to discuss. First of all, are all of you alright? We saw you were all captured by General Tribilin of Pasca yesterday, so we figured you could have been horribly tortured by now, at least."

Jay shook his head. "Fortunately, as a punishment for destroying Darlian, the Pascan leader, Valvus, sentenced Tribilin to one month of solitary confinement in this very prison. Therefore, he won't be able to torture us for a while."

Prophet breathed a sigh of relief. "...Good. we were worried that...well, no use dwelling on that now. Right now, now that we know you're safe, there's something that we think you could do to help us, and in turn, the entire UFTW military."

This piqued Jay and Genis' interest. "Help the military? What do you mean?"

Prophet glanced outside the cell. "Since you guys are Ad Libitum members, the highest level of elite in the UFTW forces, we guess that the guards will come in front of your cell often. Has it been that way so far?"

"Yeah, but right now, they're away looking at other prisoners." Harold replied.

"We see...well, here's what we want you to do. Since the guards will be in front of you most of the time, listen in to all of their conversations and try to remember every detail. Basically, you'll be playing spy. We will provide you something to write down the details on in a minute. Every morning at 7:00, we will come in and you will give us the paper of that days conversations, and then we'll pass it onto Alex. Got it?" Prophet explained. He then conjured up a writing pad and a pencil, and handed them to Jay.

Jay looked at Prophet, puzzled. "Wait a minute. You said that you were a ghost, right? So technically, shouldn't you not be able to carry the the writing pad and be able to pass it on?"

"You are indeed correct about one thing: the only items we can actually grab and hold are our clothing that we're wearing. But fortunately, we have a small amount of psychic power that allows us to move around objects, though besides hovering a few feet above the ground, that's all we can really do." Prophet replied, and demonstrated this by making the pencil move around in the air a few times, then gave the pencil back to Jay.

Genis, impressed, looked at Prophet. "Sure, we'll do it. Any objections, guys?"

No one spoke up, all of them in agreement.

Prophet began to fade. "Then it's settled. We will go inform Alex of this, and you just keep spying for us. Be careful, and make sure they don't find the writing pad!"

Genis suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait a minute! Jay, give me the notepad quickly!"

Jay looked confused, but nodded. Genis took the pad and pencil, and quickly wrote something down on it. When he finished, he ripped the paper off.

"Prophet! Could you...could you take this paper and tell Alex to give it to my sister when you meet him?" Genis asked.

Prophet took the paper with his psychic powers. "Alright, we'll do so. Watch your back!" With that, Prophet dissapeared, time starting to flow back normally...

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_Town of Baaz..._

It was a cloudy, rainy day on the hill town of Baaz. In the middle of the town, the UFTW military was gathered in a strategy room in the town hall, the main leaders sitting down in chairs in front of a long table. General Halvun sat on one end, with Eugene and Alex flanking his two sides. They were all looking at a board that was outside the table. When everyone was seated and quiet, General Halvun stood up, cleared his throat, and walked over to the board.

"Thank you all for coming here. Now then, let's get down to buisiness. As you all know, we, the UFTW forces, have conquered most of the main continent of Granvoise, though we are having a hard time in the north after the loss of Darlian. Anyway, even though the Pascan forces are clearly holding back their strongest forces and are sending their weakest forces to Granvoise, there's not much we can do about. Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to the reason we're here." General Halvun started. He then grabbed a scroll that was a map of Pasca, and put it on the board.

"Here's a map of Pasca. As you can see, we have conquered a good amount of Granvoise, the smallest continent in Pasca. Looking at it this way, we could begin to attack Granvoise Castle, the enemy's main stronghold on this continent. However, before we can do that, there's one more thing we need to do before we can launch our attack, otherwise our enemy will still be at a great advantage."

"South from here, Baaz, is the Ures River. The Ures River is the river that divides the main continent of Granvoise from a smaller part of Granvoise: the Trabadian Desert. The Trabadian Desert is several miles of a desolate wasteland, mainly just a bunch of sand. However, in there lies a great strength for the Pascans: mines. According to various maps and books, the Trabadian Desert is filled with many mines, filled with valuable resources such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, iron...just about any metal that can be used to make weapons and armor."

"The Pascans use the Trabadian Desert for a lot of trading, as the desert is like a peninsula, so there are many water routes where they can ship these metals and supplies to all over Pasca. Also, at the heart of the desert is an oasis, where the town of Loret is located. Loret is a major trading town, many of the mine supplies stopping there before continuing towards the sea. However, like I said, there are many other ways for the Pascans to ship the materials without stopping there. Still, it would be easier to take it over."

"Anyway, here's the problem: the only way to cross the Ures River is a bridge south of here. What's worse is that there's a fort on each side of the river next to the bridge. Therefore, we have no choice but to capture both forts. Unfortunately for us, the two forts have a system where they can alert the other one if they other one is being attack. Because of this, we have formulated a plan to disable this system so that the other fort will not be alerted of our actions. Here's the plan."

"First, we will launch an attack using our mages to use their spells, notably, lightning spells. Because the warning device is activated with electrical devices, the lightning spells should cause it to be disabled for the battle. Fortunately, since it's a cloudy day today, the other fort guards will probably just mistake it for an ordinary bolt of lightning. Also, we have to make sure that the assault goes as quietly as possible."

"Once that's done, we will rush up to the fort while our archers give us covering fire, along with our mages. We'll then use standard close range tactics, then once we've captured the fort, we'll rest for the night, then in the morning, we'll attack the second fort. Is everything clear on our plans, my fellow soldiers?" General Halvun explained.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone replied.

General Halvun nodded. "Good. We leave soon for the fort. It will take a while to get there, so be prepared for a long walk."

With that, everyone got up out of their chairs, all of the leaders going off to inform the soldiers and to prepare for the battle. The Ad Libitum members there, Alex, Eugene, Chester, Raine, Reid, Arche, and Luke all stood up, walking out of the room. Suddenly, as Alex walked, he saw the familiar flash of light once again. Turning around, knowing what he would see, he saw Prophet standing in the strategy room alone, everyone else gone. Hovering next to Prophet was the piece of paper Genis had written on.

Alex began walking over to Prophet. "Prophet? What is it you want to talk about this time? Is it more advice? Come to think of it, I haven't seen you in a few weeks."

Prophet shook his head. "No, that's not it. There's something we need to inform you of."

"Huh...what is it?" Alex asked.

"Your friends that were captured by Tribilin are unharmed and in perfect health when we saw them this morning." Prophet replied, glancing out a window.

Alex gasped out loud, shock filling him, as joy began to creep into him. "They're...they're alright?! And unharmed too?! That's kind of hard to believe considering that the one who captured them was Tribilin."

While it couldn't be seen, Prophet had a half smile on his face. "Fortunately, according to those four, as punishment for destroying the town of Darlian, Tribilin was sentenced to one month in solitary confinement, so therefore, he has been unable to torture your friends, and it seems he won't be able to for quite some time right now."

Alex smiled widely, a tear streaming down one of his eyes. "Thank...thank the gods...I thought...I thought by now they were suffering intensely...to hear this...it feels like a great burden has been lifted from my heart."

Prophet then stopped the smile. "Never mind that for now. We have something else to discuss with you anyway. Something more important about them."

Alex then quickly gave a serious look on his face. "Your right. There's much to do right now. So what was the other thing you wished to discuss with me?"

"It also concerns your friends. You see, since they won't be tortured until Tribilin gets out, we asked them to do something. Considering the fact that they are Ad Libitum members from the UFTW, it's pretty obvious the guards will be in front of their cell a lot. Since nothing really happens in prisons, the guards like to talk to each other about various things. Therefore, I asked them to spy for us." Prophet explained.

Alex looked confused. "Spy? How would they do that?"

"We have given them a pencil and a paper. We told them to go and listen in on the guards conversations, and to write down any important details that they. Then, every day at 7:00 A.M., we are going to visit them, take the notes that they've written down, and then deliver them to you. Therefore, if something interesting comes up, you'll know in advance." Prophet replied.

A look of impressment was evident on Alex's face, though there was a small sliver of doubt in his eyes. "Whoa...I've got to say, Prophet, that's actually a pretty good plan. It sounds pretty risky, though, if you ask me. I mean, it's pretty hard to be able to not get caught writing down on a notepad when two guards are talking."

Prophet nodded. "We know that. That's why we entrusted the writing pad to Jay. We've observed all of the new Ad Libitum members after your rebirth, and Jay is pretty much one of the most cautious and careful members of Ad Libitum, always making sure to think things through first. And he's also very quick and stealthy, so we're sure he's up to the job."

"Hmm...well, if you've observed him, I'll trust you, since I haven't really seen Jay too much during the war." Alex replied, crossing his arms, thinking about how little he really knew about the newer Ad Libitum members, other than what he had been told about by others.

"Very well then. While you already know this, be careful in the desert. Not only are the soldiers there adapt to desert warfare, but thanks to that new desert combat armor, they're a deadly force to be reckoned with. Excercise extreme caution." Prophet told him.

Alex nodded. "I will."

"Oh, and one more thing. See this paper we have near us? Genis wrote it and told us to give it to you and to tell you to give it to his sister. Will you do it?" Prophet asked, using his telekinesis to put the paper in front of Alex.

Alex looked surprised. "Alright, I'll do it."

Prophet then started fading away. "Very good. Then be careful, Alex. There are many trials to still overcome...trials everyone goes through...the trials of life." With that, Prophet faded away completely, and time flowed normally again.

Alex then looked around for a second. At first, he was going to review what he had been told by Prophet, but remembering the note by Genis, he looked down the hall, where he saw Raine walking down towards the exit. Grasping the note, he quickly ran after her.

"Raine! Wait!" Alex exclaimed.

Confused, Raine looked, behind her, and saw Alex running towards her. She then waited as Alex approached her, and he stopped in front of her, taking a deep breath.

"What is it, Alex?" Raine asked.

Alex held out the note to Raine. "Prophet...I just saw him. You remember who he is, right?"

Raine nodded. "Yes, he was the one who told you about the Pascan invasion, correct?"

"Yeah. Anyway, he came to me, and told me that all of our captured fellow Ad Libitum members are unharmed and alright, and Tribilin has been imprisioned a month." Alex explained.

Raine gasped out loud. "R...really?! Are you sure?!"

Alex nodded. "Yes. And...take this note. Prophet gave it to me to give to you. Apparently, it's a note from Genis to you."

Raine gasped again, and quickly took the note. She opened it, and by the time she finished reading it over, she was about to cry. "G...Genis..."

Alex looked at her. "...So the note really is from him, huh?"

Raine nodded, tears beginning to brim. "Y...yes. It's...it's his handwriting alright."

At this, Alex realized he should go, as it was something private and emotional for Raine. "I'll...I'll leave you alone for now. Just remember that we have to be ready in an hour." With this, Alex turned away and walked towards the door at the end of the hallway, leaving Raine alone...

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_Lavard Castle, dining room._

In the palatial dining room of Lavard Castle, Valvus, Siltran, the Silver Knights, and a few other associates were eating breakfast, a variety of fine dishes in front of them. Valvus was currently reading a report that regarding something involving the Battle of Baaz. As he examined it, he looked at a specific item for a second, then turned back to eating, placing the paper into a folder near him.

Siltran and the Silver Knights were about to eat, when they remembered something. All four of them reaching into their pockets, they all pulled out four identical bottles of pills. They read:

**USER NAME: SILTRAN/ SILVER KNIGHT A/ SILVER NIGHT B/ SILVER KNIGHT C**

**PRESCRIPTION: RIDUTTORE ELIO**

**PRESCRIBED ON: VITA (A/N: The Pascan equivilant to August) 25th, 1599**

**QUANTITY: 150 **

**USAGE: TAKE TWO TABLETS EVERY DAY, ONCE IN THE MORNING, ONCE IN THE NIGHT**

**PRESCRIBER: DR. TRIBILIN HEMOSES**

They unscrewed the lid on the bottles, and each took out a small cylinder shaped green pill. Taking a glass of water next to them, they each put the pill in their mouths, then drank the water, the pills going down their throats. When they finished, they sealed the pill bottle again, placed it back in their pockets, and continued eating.

Valvus took a look at the pill bottles. "Siltran, are you sure that you have enough pills left until Tribilin is released from confinement? These pills were issued over a month ago, so..."

"No need to worry, Master Valvus. We have enough pills to last until Tribilin's return." Siltran replied, shaking his head.

Valvus nodded. "Alright, good. What's the status of the cargo from Baaz we recieved last night?"

"It's currently resting down in the testing lab. The scientists down there are trying to use some of the energy from the cargo to increase the magical potency of our soldiers, and their experiments with it have shown some progress." Siltran explained.

"...Really? What do you mean?" Valvus asked.

Siltran took a sip of his water before continuing. "Well, we've found out that some of the soldiers who have had the energy from the cargo transferred into their bodies are able to use spells such as Tidal Wave, Explosion, Cyclone, Absolute...and one of them was able to even use Meteor Storm, according to the report from the science team."

Valvus nearly choked on his food when he heard that. "Me...Meteor Storm!? Are you sure?!"

Siltran nodded. "Yeah. If it weren't for the quick actions of the staff using the cargo, the spell could have destroyed the whole basement level if it had the chance. Fortunately, the power of the cargo was able to successfully absorb the spell. There have been no reports of any side affects in the soldiers, so this may be the breakthrough we've been looking for in magic developement."

Valvus then scratched his chin for a second. "...Very well. Tell the scientists to begin transferring energy from the cargo into magic transfusion packs. Tell them to begin distibuting these packs to the forts and towns occupied with soldiers in Lavard and Scollance. Unfortunately, it's too late to do anything for Granvoise, so we can't send packs to them. However, I will make...one exception. Have the scientists create one of their most powerful magic transfusion packs and send it to thr Trabadian Desert on a fast ship. The pack will go to General Belladonna."

"Alright then, I'll make sure to tell them that after I finish eating." Siltran replied, going back to his food.

Valvus looked at him again. "One more thing. Have the new advancements been placed on the forts in Lavard and Scollance?"

"They have, Master Valvus. While they won't reach Granvoise in time either, with these new defense mechanisms, the defenses at our forts have almost tripled in power. The UFTW won't be able to get by them with the tactics they've been using on the Granvoise forts..."

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_Near Fort Corde, one of the forts that flanks the Ures River, many hours later..._

It was now pitch black outside, the rain falling down heavily from the sky, the moon obscured by the now red clouds. The occasional bolt of lightning would flash by about three times every two minute, followed seconds later by the familiar sound of thunder. The wind was also blowing at a fast speed that night, overall giving the night a very cold day, especially considering that it was only the middle of Ecclesia.

The UFTW forces, divided up into smaller units so the ambush more smoothly, quietly walked through the fields of the vast Granvoise continent, fully armored. The mages had cast an anti-lightning field around the soldiers so they wouldn't get struck by lighning, and a heat spell to keep the soldiers warm so they wouldn't get sick for walking in the cold weather. However, there was nothing they could do about the rain. Alex walked forward in his unit, with himself, about three thousand soldiers, and Raine were walking alongside him. Alex and Raine hadn't spoke to each other the whole day ever since Alex had handed her the note.

Alex then remembered something, and reached out into his vaccuum space sphere and pulled out a small notebook. Ever since he had met Prophet for the second time, Alex had decided to record the dates of when he had seen him and what they had discussed about. He wrote in the date, and then wrote a short sentence about the whole spying plan, then shut the notebook and put it back in his vaccuum-space sphere. He then sighed, and looked out on the horizon, the lightning illuminating the hills for a second, Fort Corde visible in the distance, along with the Ures River.

Once Alex saw the fort, he motioned towards his men to begin charging down the hill silently. Looking up at the sky, he figured, judging from the bolts, that the next bolt would come in fourty seconds, and he then charged down the hill quickly, his men following. As he ran down the hill, he saw all of the other units doing the same thing. As he reached the bottom of the hill, he immediately ordered all of his men to get down on their stomachs when they reached the bottom. They all did, and seconds later, the lightning flashed, the stone walls of the fort visible once again.

However, none of the guards at the fort noticed the units, as all of them blended with the ground. Spotting a small forest area near by, Alex and the rest of the units made a run for the trees, knowing their time was limited if the ambush was to work. At the last second, Alex jumped into the woods, the lightning striking again, its radiance making the whole area visible. When it subsided, the units all looked around at each other, the mages looked towards the unit leaders, waiting for action. General Halvun looked at Eugene.

"Eugene, if you would, use your spare pair of binoculars to examine the area. According to our intelligence, the warning system is a red orb somewhere at the top of the fort." General Halvun requested.

Eugene nodded. "I understand." He then reached into his vaccuum-space sphere, and pulled out a pair of binoculars. He then looked around at the fort, examining every part of it. Suddenly, his eyes focused on a certain part of the fort, and checked it for a few seconds, before putting down the binoculars and turned back to General Halvun.

"I've found it. It's a point located at the northeast end of the tower. In order to target it correctly, you'll all probably need to look in that direction when the lightning strikes." Eugene reported.

General Halvun nodded. "Very good, Eugene. Mages! Look in the direction that Eugene pointed out, and when you see the red orb, charge up all of your Lightning spells and fire them at the orb!"

All the mages nodded, and stared in the northeast section of the fort. About ten seconds later, the lightning struck again, and a red orb was seen at the point of a roof on one of the small towers in the fort. The mages then began concentrating, small sparks of lightning gathering at the edges of their hands and weapons. Finally, they all cast Lightning.

The result was, to say the least, incredible. The combined lightning bolt was gigantic, crashing into the orb, not only destroying it, but taking a large part of the roof with it as well. Everyone suddenly covered their ears in anticipation as a gigantic crack of thunder rang out over the plains and the river, booming with the power that had resided within it...

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_Fort Sudjulmelent, fort on the other side of the Ures River..._

At this fort, several guards were walking around, making their night patrol rounds, looking at the bridge that stretched from this end to the opposite side of the vast river, which was about three miles wide. Suddenly, an incredible flash of lightning was seen across the other side of the river, followed by a loud bang that forced everyone to cover their ears. When the thunder stopped, all of the guards looked over the other side of the river with an awed looked, as they were both afraid of and amazed by the lightning bolt at the same time.

"What the...what the hell was that!? That bolt...it went directly above Fort Corde! Do you think something's happened?" One of the guards asked.

Another guard shook his head. "No, probably not. It's probably a lightning bolt from the storm. Feels like the storm's about to get a lot rougher, though."

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_Back at Fort Corde..._

The fort was in dissaray at the moment. The soldiers were looking at the tower in shock, and a lot of them had run to the front walls, one of the soldiers leaning on the gate switch.

Alex looked at his fellow soldiers. "Now's our chance! Let's go!"

Everyone nodded, and the archers prepared their arrows, and the mages prepared non-lightning spells. As the foot soldiers began running, the archers opened fire, their arrows hitting many targets, the guards caught by suprise. The guard who had been leaning on the switch was hit and fell backwards, causing the switch to lower, the gate opening. Before a guard could rectify the situation, Arche hit the switch with a powerful Explosion spell, destroying the gate switch, allowing the foot soldiers to proceed.

The guards then sprung into action, readying their weapons. They started firing arrows at the ground soldiers, picking them off, and other began firing spells into the crowd. The guards also readied close-combat weapons, and ran down to the gate to defend it.

Familiar with this typical situation by now, Alex began to use his usual tactics, starting off with a Rising Falcon, paving his way through the soldiers. As he landed, he slashed at a soldier to his right, cutting through his throat. As he got up, a soldier attempted to attack Alex from behind, but a UFTW soldier just stabbed through him in time, killing him. Alex silently thanked the soldier, and then swung across another soldier's chest, killing him. Alex then used Omega Tempest, cutting up several soldiers. As Alex landed, he continued to fight, knowing that while the ambush had worked, the unit here was tough...

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_Three hours later..._

It was late at night by now, but the battle had been won. Alex stood panting over the surrendering body of the enemy commander and his soldiers, their weapons lowered. Sheathing his sword, Alex ordered his men to lock them up in their prison cells, the rain still falling, though it was beginning to lighten up. As Alex looked at the damaged roof. Suddenly, he felt something strange overcome him, and he looked out towards the river, though not towards the direction of the other fort. A look of surprise came up on his face, confusion on it.

_Just...just now...I felt...I felt something strange...and familiar coming from two different locations in the desert...but what does this mean?_

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**Hey, how was it? I must confess, though, that this was my least favorite chapter so far, and it was just a boring filler, I know. Still, things are about to heat up, and I'll tell you this: something big is going to happen in exactly 13 chapters! When that happens, everything will change, I'll tell you that. With that out of the way, I'll leave behind some interesting imformation about the chapter backround:**

**- The two Pascan months mentioned here (Ecclesia and Vita) are named after Gnostic deities.**

**-The name of the opposite fort from Fort Corde (Fort Sudjulmelent) is a combination of two French words that literally mean "south twin" referring to the fact that the two forts are virtually the same.**

**Alright then, so long! Sorry that this was a boring chapter/filler, I promise to make it up! Please Read and Review, as I'm tired of you all coming by here and not bothering to leave a comment! Well, I don't mean to be rude, but still...**


	17. Chapter 16: Machiavellianism

**Hello! Final Poke Mario Fan here! I've prepared the next chapter of RMII: TOL for all of you, now let us see the end result!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 16: Machiavellianism

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_Unknown location..._

_A young green-haired boy was running through the streets of an unknown city, the sounds of screams everywhere. The smell of smoke and the heat of fire could be felt everywhere, and the sounds of soldier's boots echoing throught the streets, the civilians falling one by one, blood spilling from their now lifeless corpses, a horrified look fixed on their bodies. In the backround, the sound of church bells could be heard, fire spells from the soldier's mages crashing into the buildings, some set on fire, while others collapsed immediately._

_The young boy ran through the town, which was covered in snow, and it was currently snowing at the time. He ran past the fleeing civilians into a wooden house with a green roof, opening the wooden door in a hurry. Inside the house was an adult woman and man, who were standing next to a boy and girl younger than the boy, all four of them crying. When they saw the boy, he quickly ran into their arms, crying, and they all looked relieved at the sight of him, the sounds of battle still echoing outside._

_The man, who looked like he was in his mid/late 30s, with green hair and green eyes, quickly turned towards the woman, who was also in her mid/late 30s, and had purple hair with blue eyes, and he said something to her, and she nodded, replying to the man by saying something. She then turned to the three children, and quickly said something to all three of them. The young boy said something in response, and the woman replied quickly and frantically. Reluctantly, the boy nodded his head, and he ran over to a side door that lead out of the house._

_As he was partway out of the house, he tripped backwards, his back falling on the snow. As his family ran over to help him, suddenly, a powerful fire spell, probably Explosion, crashed into the house. The house was destroyed on impact, and the boy screamed as he saw his family flying forward, the debris of the house scattering everywhere, and a wooden block from the house's roof fell of and crashed right into the boy's head, knocking him unconscious, his world going black..._

_About a day later, the boy awakened again, his whole body throbbing, a feeling of hunger and thirst all over his body. He was still in the same place, lying in the snow near the place that was once his house. Fortunately, he was wearing a coat and gloves, so he wasn't cold. He tried to move his body, but found he couldn't. Looking at his body, he saw that most of his body was stuck under the debris of the house, the charred wood crushing his whole body, rendering it unable to move._

_The boy tried desperately to get out of there, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get out. He then started crying loudly, his whole body feeling horrible. Remembering his family, he looked around frantically, and what he saw next shocked him to the bitter core, the horrible stench around him making the feeling worse._

_His family's bodies were lying right next to him in various directions, though they were so close that the boy could bite all of them from the position. They were all dead, their bodies suffering greatly from the attack. His mother's face had been burnt right off, his father's hair and clothes all gone, and his brother and sister were basically roasted, there whole body charred. The body widened his eyes in horror, seeing hundreds of burnt buildings and bodies all over the streets of what had once been a city._

_The boy then did what anyone would have done in his situation: he started screaming, over and over again, his blue eyes traumatized by all that he had seen. He just kept screaming and screaming, his screams echoing in the now dead city, no one hearing his voice over the frozen landscape he was trapped inside of..._

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Tribilin screamed, waking up from the horrible nightmare he had just experienced. He was currently inside the solitary confinement cell at Granvoise Castle, where he had been detained for the destruction of Darlian, for which he had destroyed just so he could get rid of a large of the UFTW army, without any regard for the civilians living there, all which died with the exception of four Ad Libitum members. Because of this, Tribilin was now trapped in this room. His arms were bloody, his fingers were soaked in blood, and Tribilin's teeth had blood on them.

A bell then rang out in Tribilin's room. Knowing that it was his breakfast bell, he got up, and walked across the room. Unlike all the other cells in the prison, this room was pure white, though Tribilin had changed that a bit, as blood was splattered on the walls. The room was pretty big for a cell, about the size of one floor of an average house. Tribilin walked over to a slot in the wall, where he saw a plate with a steak on it, as well as water and a pill. Seeing the pill, Tribilin quickly grabbed it and swallowed it, him falling to the floor as he began to see something.

"NO! NO! STOP! GOD DAMN IT! NO! NO! NO! HELP! I DON'T...I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS! ALL OF THESE FACES...THIS SCENE...I WANT IT TO STOP!" Tribilin screamed, his voice silenced by the sound proof walls.

Just then, the pill kicked in, and Tribilin began panting, the images he was seeing dissapearing. He kneeled on the floor, slowly panting as his head calmed down, his eyes returning to normal. Tribilin then stood up, and grabbed his plate, eating his steak like an animal eats its prey, biting off large quantities of the steak, his face contorted in anger.

_Damn it! Damn it! Damn you, Valvus! Giving only one pill a day...I need at least three in order to get by a day without seeing those images or that nightmare! And you've made sure that there's no materials in the food I could use to make the pills! After all, I was the one who created the pills myself! You had that in mind when you made the sentence for me! WHY! Damn you! Damn you to hell, Valvus! You have no idead what I have to see when I don't have my pills avaliable 24/7!_

_Why the hell do you care so much?! I like to think that "the ends justify the means". Your Assimilation, when activated, will be virtually the same! Not exactly the same, but still! When that happens, you'll be disregarding much more than what you say I have! Your the worst, Valvus...oh, you're the worst! You're not like me, Darius, Belladonna, or Siltran! You've never experienced what we have, Valvus! So what if Siltran was right if he and I went through similar experiences?! That makes us better than you! We're stronger than you!_

_Unfortunately, I can't raise a takeover of Lavard and kill you, as you have much more resources than I alone. But...but maybe...yes... the Terresian Descender...Even if he doesn't know about the Assimilation, he still is out to get me and Valvus killed at whatever the cost, me especially. Heh heh heh heh...I could get him to kill Valvus before me...then I could take over Valvus' place as the Assimilator..._

_Siltran and Darius...they're also obstacles...both of them are fiercely loyal to Valvus...especially Siltran...They're both liabilites...I'll have to ensure that the Terresian Descender takes both of them out...As for Belladonna...well, whatever happens to her, I don't care...Her so called "State Jemummu Recovery" that I caused for her could activate, which would undoubtly make her join the UFTW forces, and it still wouldn't make a difference. If anything, she would be a powerful asset for the UFTW forces...all the better for making my plans go along._

_Hmm...maybe I could make that Mithos help me out in his plan...the whole "ressurecting his sister" promise is all one big lie, after all. He hates us...however, I could just ask him to help in exchange for killing Valvus and deactivating the devices in his chamber...it won't matter for him in the end anyway...and besides, unlike Valvus, I have a slightly different idea of how I want Assimilation to go. Yes...Valvus...even if it takes five years, I will take your place as the Assimilator...Terresian Descender...continue to fight and kill...heh heh heh heh..._

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_Two days later, Fort Corde..._

Alex was currently sleeping in his room, his eyes shut, his breathing beeing able to be heard from his nose and mouth. As light settled into the room, Alex squinted, waking up. Placing his hands on the mattress, he yawned as he got out bed, rubbing his eyes. Reaching into a chest in the corner of the room, Alex pulled out his Radiant armor, applying it to his body. As he slid on the helm, he reached for his sword, attaching it to his left hip. He then yawned one last time, and opened the door, walking out into the hallways of the fort.

As he walked down towards the mess hall, he suddenly saw the familiar flash of white light. Turning around, he saw Prophet, standing behind him with a piece of paper floating next to him.

"Good morning Alex. We have today's notes ready for you, written by Genis, Jay, Harold, and Cless." Prophet explained, the note flying towards Alex.

Alex grabbed the note. "Thank you, Prophet. I'll see you tommorow at the same time."

Prophet nodded. "Of course. Good luck with the battle today. It's going to be more difficult than usual, we can tell it."

"Yeah...currently, we have no navy in Pasca, so we can't attack it by the sea...looks like we're in for a big battle...first we have to fend off the enemy while crossing the bridge, then we have to take over the base at close range. The hard part is the crossing, of course. It's only about a ten minute walk across the bridge, as while it's three miles long, there's a certain spell cast on it that allows people to move by the bridge quickly, so that travel speeds up." Alex explained, sighing as he looked outside, today being another bright Pascan morning in the month of Ecclesia.

"Hmm...allows you to move faster, huh? You could use that to your advantage, you know." Prophet reminded Alex.

Alex nodded. "We know that. Me and the other generals have discussed that. It's just that we have about ten thousand crossing, so it'll be hard to maneuver. What's more, our reinforcements from the north won't be arriving to help us until about four hours from now, so we'll probably have to hold out a while. What we're most worried about is the fire from the arrows from the fort. At this rate, we don't have any defense against that, and we're very exposed out there on the bridge. We've been trying to think of something, but we don't know what to do."

Prophet looked out towards a clock, deep in thought. "Hmm...well...wait...an idea came to us...do you have any Hourglasses on hand?"

"Hmm? Well, yeah...me and some of the other generals and the Ad Libitum have about one each...why? I know they can freeze time for about five seconds or so, but how will that help?" Alex replied.

Behind his mask, Prophet smirked. "We have an idea. It'll involve the Hourglasses."

"The Hourglasses? What do you have in mind?" Alex asked.

"When you cross the bridge, we estimate the enemy will open fire on you when you're about one minute away from the end of the bridge, as they won't be able to hit you easily from any farther. When they fire their arrows, wait until the arrows are almost at you. Then, immediately activate the Hourglasses When that happens, the arrows will be frozen in time for five seconds."

"Keep charging in those five seconds, and if it works, the arrows will miss you barely, as the ones behind you will just be in time to dodge them, although some will get hit. Repeat this until you reach the end of the bridge, and you'll still have a large amount of your forces alive." Prophet proposed.

Alex looked at Prophet, impressed. "That's...that's actually not a bad idea, to be honest. Yeah...yeah, I think it could work. I'll go suggest it to the generals and the other Ad Libitum members. Thanks for the idea, Prophet."

"We are only doing what is neccessary to end this war. But you must be careful, Alex. There's much out there that wants you dead...or worse. Keep yourself safe." Prophet replied.

Alex nodded. "I will."

Fading away, Prophet nodded. "Good. Your battles are far from over, Alex...the biggest trial of all for you is coming up very soon...and when it does, you must ask yourself an important question: who are you, and what will you do?"

"Huh?! What...what are you talking about?" Alex asked, surprised, and somewhat worried.

"You'll find out when the time comes, Alex. Until tommorow...farewell." Prophet replied, and with that, he dissapeared.

"..." Alex stood there in silence for a few seconds, still worried. He looked down at his right hand for a while, then looked up towards the sky from out the nearest window. Seeing his reflection in the window, Alex frowned, and faced the ground.

_What did Prophet mean, "my greatest trial"? Is he referring to Tribilin? No...that doesn't sound right...killing Tribilin doesn't seem like it would make me question who I am. After all, I have a clear motive for killing him: vengence. But...but what did he mean if not that? There's...there's much I need to figure out myself. The true reason why I am fighting...and what will come out of this fighting? Well...no use asking myself questions I don't know the answer to myself. Better get down to the mess hall._

Alex then continued to walk down the hallway, taking a look on the notes. Nothing of real importance was written on them, but Alex stuffed it into his vacuum-space sphere, knowing that the four were just doing their best. Alex then reached the stairs to the mess hall, his boots echoing down throughout the hallway, the stone absorbing the soundwaves...

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_City of Loret, middle of the Trabadian Desert..._

As the UFTW had suspected, Loret was a booming city, one of the largest on the continent next to Rasgon. The city was structured in a grid plan style, the roads all straight and forming a large city. The buildings looked like an old Middle Eastern city, with square buildings made of clay. The markets, however, were wide with activity, merchants and citizens passing by, all talking to each other, looking over at the various items on display from the merchants, and asking the merchants any news about the war that they had heard. All in all, there was a very calm feeling to the city.

From a building near the marketplace, Belladonna watched the citizens walk around the city, happy looks on their faces. She seemed to look at them sadly, a look of apparent regret on her face, but she quickly shook it off, warding away thoughts. As she looked up towards the sky, she placed her hands on her chest, as something was clearly bothering her. Suddenly, she heard a knock come from a door behind her.

"Come in." Belladonna responded, turning towards the door.

The door then opened, revealing a man named Vakus, Belladonna's personal lieutenant for the Trabadian Desert. He was slightly short in stature, about 5'5 feet tall. He had tanned skin, having grown up in the Trabadian Desert. He had orange hair, and he had a pair of yellow eyes, looking warm. He was also young as well, about 24 years old. He wore a plate of grey armor, which was strangely designed, with what appeared to be vent like pieces all over the armor, yet still providing adequate defense. He then saluted.

"General Belladonna. Forgive me for interrupting you, but Master Valvus has requested a meeting to talk about the progress that's currently going on in the Desert. General Darius has created blue light viewers, and they are currently set up in the conference room. Of course, due to General Tribilin's confinement for a month, he is unable to join this meeting. Please come with me to the conference room." Vakus explained.

Belladonna nodded. "Very well, I shall go. Thank you for informing me, Lieutenant Vakus."

Vakus nodded, and he turned around to head back into the hallway in the building, which was the Pascan military base in Loret. Belladonna then sighed, briefly lifting part of her helm to take a deep breath, only her mouth on her tan skin briefly visible, but nothing else other than that. She then lowered the helm again, and began walking out into the hallways alongside Vakus. While she would normally take the time out to talk to her fellow soldiers, today she was in a distracted mood, something on her mind.

_Valvus...I've...I've begun questioning whether your plan really is the right way to go. I can understand Darius, Tribilin, and Siltran's reasons for wanting to go with it, but you...you never really did experience anything like those three did. I'm really the outcast of the group...I'm younger than all of you, after all, and the reason I'm in is because they say I'm a war orphan...heh. I must be really stupid, not being able to remember anything from the fifteen out of nearly eighteen years of my life...not even when my parents died._

_But Valvus...when you accomplish Assimilation, will people really learn how to change? Do people really need to learn how to change? I love this world dearly...and after seeing all of those smiling, happy people in the city today, I'm not sure whether your ideals are correct or not. Needless to say, I do think you're right in a way about your views of humanity, but after seeing all of those happy people today, I wondering if going through Assimilation is right or not._

_Maybe...maybe if I get my memories back then...maybe I'll find something in there that will truly allow me to either agree or disagree with Assimilation. That Prophet guy...he seemed to know about those images in that dream I had...he knew the meaning of the images that I myself did not...but what does this mean? How can he understand those images when I myself can't? I just...I just wish that I knew what to do now...I'm so confused I'm not completely sure what to do right now..._

"General Belladonna? Are you all right?" Vakus asked.

Belladonna's head suddenly jerked up, surprised, broken out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh...yeah, I fine. Sorry, I was...just thinking about something."

"...I see. Well, we're already at the conference room. Let's go in." Vakus replied.

Belladonna nodded, and opened the door right in front of her. In front of her eyes was a conference room similar to all the other conference rooms in the forts around Pasca, with a stone table surrounded by chairs. Seeing various Pascan colonels and other high ranking officers, Belladonna quickly waved to them as a sign of hello, and they saluted in response. Belladonna then walked over to the top of the table, taking her seat. In front of the table were two blue light viewers, one with the image of Valvus and Siltran, the other one with Darius.

Belladonna saluted. "Good morning, Master Valvus, General Siltran, and General Darius."

The three saluted back, then looked at each other, Valvus clearing his throat. "Now that virtually most of Granvoise has been taken over by the UFTW forces, we've come to discuss future planning with you three about future courses of action. First off, we need to have a region update. Darius, how are things over at Helmos? No problems?"

"No, Master Valvus. Everything's currently fine down here. We've stationed ourselves down here in Helmos, and everything is normal. No problems at all." Darius reported.

Valvus nodded. "Good. Now then, Belladonna, are things alright over there in the Trabadian Desert?"

"Well...so far, yes, but...we expect the UFTW forces to be in the desert any day now, so we're preparing ourselves for combat. We've tested the new desert armor, and it seems like it's working fine." Belladonna replied.

"Alright then, be on your guard. Well then, now that we have the regional update out of the way, I'll move on to the main topic of our discussion, which involves the future of this war. As you know, we are about a month or so into the war, and we have yet to found the third one. We've been conserving our strongest soldiers here in Lavard and near Scollance, and our weakest ones are in Granvoise. Also, Tribilin foolishly destroyed Darlian, so we had no choice but to detain him, and thus, we're a little weak in the Granvoise region."

"However, while it's likely we could lose Granvoise to the UFTW, we still are at an advantage. In Scollance and Lavard, the protection of our forts have been vastly improved, and we've managed to create more powerful magic packs using the cargo that was sent from Baaz. Therefore, I believe that in the next phase of the war, the UFTW will have a lot more trouble trying to conquer our territory."

"Meanwhile, Belladonna, the UFTW are trying to conquer the Trabadian Desert. It's obvious that they know all about the mines and the materials in them. Therefore, we have to do something very risky. Tell all the mine workers to transport as many materials they can out of the mines and send them on a ship to Lavard, then...then you have to cave in all of the mines' entrances." Valvus explained.

Everyone at the table gasped in shock, especially Vakus. "M...Master Valvus! Are you sure that's the right way to go? If we cave in the desert mines, we'll virtually kill the Trabadian Desert's economy!"

Valvus sadly nodded. "I know. But we have enough materials to keep us running the war for several years, and we can't let the UFTW gain such a valuable resource. Besides, we still have the Anzet Mines over in Scollance, so we'll be fine. Once the war is over, we'll be sure to reopen the mines to use again. But right now, it's either sacrificing a valuable area of resources, or letting these valuable resources fall into UFTW hands. So sadly, we have no other choice but to cave in the mines."

"...Very well. I shall do as you ask, Master Valvus. I'll order the caving in of the mines." Belladonna reluctantly replied, her face downcast.

"Good. Anyway, now for the real discussion. Belladonna, your forces will fight the UFTW forces when they get here. You should have an advantage from your desert armor and the fact that the UFTW is untrained in desert battles. However, don't underestimate them. If you find that you're close to defeat, if Loret is lost, then retreat to the underground passage located beneath the base. Use it, and go through it and you'll eventually emerge at the Ures River. The UFTW currently have no navy, so a ship will be waiting to take you. Just so you know, there are mine carts in the tunnels that will transport you."

"Now then, if we lose Granvoise, I've assigned all of you places to be stationed in after Granvoise is lost. Darius, you will remain in the Helmos area. Siltran, you'll take the middle of Scollance to defend, paticularly at the castle itself. Belladonna, you'll be stationed near the Kiseki Plains in Scollance. If we lose Granvoise, we'll concentrate a huge force at the Big Bridge of Scollvoise. Since the UFTW doesn't have a navy, it will be incredibly difficult for them to take the bridge without reinforcements."

"While this is all going on, the search for the third one will continue. Archaeological teams will continue to excavate all around Pasca in search of it, as without it, we can't start Assimilation. Fortunately, there are no more excavation sites left on Granvoise, only Scollance and Lavard, along with the islands. However, I have a feeling that if the UFTW capture Shiroc, then they will begin to build a navy, making overseas excavation very difficult. In other words, we need to complete excavation overseas as soon as possible. That is all. Any questions?" Valvus finished.

Belladonna then raised her hand quickly, although somewhat nervously.

"Yes? What is it, Belladonna?" Valvus asked.

"Er...Um...I...never mind. It's nothing." Belladonna replied.

Valvus stared at Belladonna inquisitively. "Really? Are you sure about that, Belladonna?"

"Y...yes sir." Belladonna quickly answered.

"...Alright. This concludes the meeting. All of you, continue to watch your repective regions!" Valvus announced. At that, Darius made the blue light viewers dissapear, until there was no one left, Belladonna standing up, a little shaky.

_I...I was...I was about to _question_ Master Valvus' actions...what am I doing?_

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_Lavard Castle, Conference Room._

As the blue light viewers dissapeared in the Lavard Castle Conference Room, engulfing it in darkness save for a few candles that were still lit, Siltran glanced at Valvus, a frown on his face as he thought of something. As the blue light viewers went out completely, Valvus noticed the expression on Siltran, and he stared at him, puzzled.

"Siltran, is something wrong?" Valvus asked.

Siltran glanced up, a bit surprised that Valvus noticed his face. "...Yeah. I'm a bit concerned about General Belladonna. I've noticed lately that in our meetings, she's been acting a little strange."

"Hmm...well, now that you mention it, she has been a little quiet lately, and she's been talking to me in a somewhat reluctant tone, I'd say. Plus today, she had a question for me, but quickly said it was nothing. I wonder what it was she was going to say?" Valvus replied.

Siltran glared at the walls. "I...I think that...maybe...General Belladonna is starting to have second thoughts on the Assimilation or joining up with us. Do you think that maybe State Jemummu Recovery has activated in her brain?"

Valvus shook his head. "No, it's impossible. If State Jemummu Recovery did activate in her brain, she would have run away from the army by now and probably try to join the UFTW. Instead, it seems like she could be developing these feelings on her own. It seems that part of her pre-State Jemummu Recovery state still remains in some areas...unfortunately, it had to be that."

"Then what do we do about it?" Siltran asked.

"At the moment, it doesn't seem like she's fully sure about how she feels about Assimilation. Let's wait some time to see how things play out for her. If she keeps up with the Assimilation plan, then all is good. If she is against Assimilation, then we'll have no choice but to dispose of her. Like the plan was, we'd summon the Silver Knights and have them kill her, though she is a powerful opponent and could potential injure them badly." Valvus replied.

"..."

Valvus sighed. "Siltran, I know how you feel about them. But you've got to remember that they volunteered willingly to do it, and pledged their loyalty to me before it happened. Whatever happens, it's for the sake of Assimilation."

Siltran then turned towards Valvus. "I...I know. My full loyalty is with you, Master Valvus, I'll do anything for you. It's just...it's just so hard accepting that the people you care so much about could be sent off to their potential deaths."

"I know, Siltran. I know. But this is war. It can't be helped at times." Valvus stated, staring off into the candles...

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_Fort Corde..._

At the front entrance, with the rest of the army, Alex once again at the front of the room. He took a deep sigh, remembering the events of what had happened. He had told the generals and Ad Libitum members about Prophet's plan, and after a discussion, they decided to use the plan, as they had enough Hourglasses to last for nearly a minute.

Just then, General Halvun walked next to him, turning to face Alex. He stood silent for a few seconds, then spoke up.

"Are you nervous?" General Halvun asked.

Alex then turned towards him. "...No, I'm not nervous. I'm scared, that's what."

"Scared?" General Halvun asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. I'm always scared when I'm going into battle. Everytime I go into battle, I know I'm putting my life on the line. Everytime I fight on the battlefield, my life is decided by fate or skill. On the battlefield, a single moment of hesitation can bring you death. Everything you do is threatening your safety, as well as others. It was only during the war that I understood the true meaning of the phrase 'kill or be killed.' I...I don't want to kill anyone, but I realize that if I don't, I'll be the one dead."

General Halvun nodded. "Yes...we soldiers are a doomed sort, I believe. Even if all of us will die someday, the act of merely being a soldier basically puts our own lifespan to a limited level. However, it for what we fight for that makes us fight in the war."

"...Something to fight for, huh? I wish I knew what that was."

General Halvun seemed a little surprised. "You don't know why your fighting?"

Alex shook his head. "Not really. At first, I thought it was merely because I was the Terresian Descender, and that since the Pascans attacked Terresia, protecting it from them was my duty. However, over the past few days, I've realized that that was not the reason. I think...I think that I'm fighting in this war to find myself, like who I a really am. Not in a physical sense, but a mental sense. I still need to figure out many things, but there's so little time for me...for all of us. With this war going on, there's not much I can do to personally figure this out."

"..." General Halvun was silent for a second, but before he could reply, Eugene came walking up, and cleared his throat, knocking against the door in front of him. When that happened, everyone quieted down, waiting to hear from Eugene. Eugene then opened the door in front of him, exposing the light to everyone, and slowly, the forces marched out. To the left of him, Alex could see the bridge in front of him, the water sparkling brightly in the morning daylight. Alex silently cursed at this, knowing they'd be easier targets in the sunlight.

Alex and the rest of the Ad Libitum members then started walking towards the bridge. When Alex stepped on the bridge, he was shocked to find himself going much faster than he normally could. He _had _known that the bridge would increase his speed, just not that fast. All of the rest of the soldiers were surprised as they stepped on the bridge and found that their speed had been augmented. Deciding to shrug it off, the soldiers kept walking on the bridge, breezing through what would probably have been an hour's walk...

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_Nine minutes later, Fort Sudjulement..._

A soldier was currently standing on the guard tower next to Fort Sudjulement, watching through a scope around the area, on guard for any enemies. Suddenly, he saw, in the distance, the UFTW unit charging straight for the Fort, on the last leg of the bridge. Surprised, the guard quickly rang a bell next to him three times, indicating that the enemy was on the bridge, the archer guards on the fort quickly readying their weapons.

Hearing the bell on the bridge, Alex cursed, realizing the enemy had finally spotted them. "All soldiers, begin running! We're beginning the Hourglass phase of the battle! It's either run or die! When the Hourglass activates, just keep running! Think about nothing but running!"

Nodding, all of the soldiers began running, and Alex pulled out the Hourglass from his vacuum-space sphere, the stopwatch now in his hands. At the fort, the archers held down their arrows, then released them, a huge volley of arrows headed towards the UFTW. Quickly, Alex pressed the button on the Hourglass, and as he did, suddenly, time froze for the soldiers and the arrows. As the Hourglass dissapeared in his hand, Alex kept running. Five seconds later, time flowed normally again, and most of the arrows missed, though there were a few that were hit by the arrows.

The Pascan force seemed surprised that the UFTW had dodged most of the arrows, but they shrugged it off and readied another volley. Luke then prepared his Hourglass, waiting. When the arrows were fired and were close to the UFTW, Luke activated his Hourglass, time stopping for the enemy and their arrows as well, as the UFTW hurried down the bridge. After these five seconds occured, time returned to normal, and the arrows missed again.

For the next fourty second, this process repeated, with Reid, Eugene, Raine, and Chester using their Hourglasses. Finally, when they made it to the other side, they took a look at the fort. It was mostly stone, with a gate sealing away the entrance. His sword at the ready, Alex and the rest of the foot soldiers then charged towards the gate, arrows flying towards them while their own archers fired support arrows.

When the foot soldiers reached the gate, they began attacking the gate with everything they had. Reid kept jumping up and using Rising Phoenix, the flames damaging the gate. Luke used Slag Assault while Eugene used Thunder Roar, and Alex used Demon Spiral Hammer. As they did these techniques, added with some mages spells hitting the gate, it quickly began to wear down, obviously not built very well. As the gate was falling apart, however, the Pascans were prepared, and fired a volley of arrows at the gate.

Caught off guard, Alex grunted as an arrow hit him dead in the arm, while several other people around him were injured. Quickly pulling the arrow out of him, Alex then finished the gate off using Demons Spiral Hammer, when the final swing shattered the wood. As the healing mages were quickly taking care of the wounded soldiers, Alex rushed in at full force in the battle, slashing anyone who got in his way. He then used an arte that he had been developing while he was at the other forts.

"Spreading Chaos!" Alex exclaimed. He grabbed his sword, and spun it in a full circle on the ground. Suddenly, five Demon Fang shockwaves emerged from the area he had created the circle, and they fired off in seperate directions, hitting multiple targets. Alex then quickly ran around the area, preparing an Arcane Arte that he had also developed.

"Omega Falcon!" Alex announced. He then quickly used an Omega Tempest, which caused him to spin and collide into several soldiers, then he spun up into the air in the second part of the attack. After he completed that part, he saw the soldiers in front of him, and he used a Rising Falcon, impaling them and crashing into the ground, the force of them all falling at once creating a very small impact crater. He then instantly followed up with Rending Tiger Blade, jumping up and down while slashing whatever was near him.

Alex then saw a staircase leading to the upper walls. Running towards it, he quickly had to run back down as he was nearly pelted by arrows. He then continued to attack the nearest enemies that he saw, the battle progressing like a dance, all of Alex's attacks moving fluidly, with a violent grace towards them...the violent grace that all sword artes were, as, while looking graceful, were meant for destructive purposes, only needing to kill whatever they saw and whatever was near them, blood splattering whenever the hit their target.

Reid suddenly got an idea, and motioned for Alex to use Victory Light Spear when he got near him. Alex nodded, and when Reid stood next to Alex, he used Victory Light Spear. Alex and Reid were then sent flying up above the staircase near the archers, and when they were at their peak, Reid launched forward using Rising Phoenix, Alex then following him with Rising Falcon. They collided into two guards with such great force that they fell off the fort, the Pascans losing two of their archers.

As Alex and Reid recovered, they saw the archers preparing to shoot them. Quickly, the two of the jumped off the upper walls, using Rising Falcon and Rising Phoenix to land safely on the ground. When they did so, Reid quickly grabbed his shield and threw it forwards into the air, beheading a soldier near them. Reid then retrieved his shield and continued fighting, Alex using another Spreading Chaos, hitting various targets.

Alex ran over towards a bunch of soldiers who were fighting near the staircases, and Alex used Omega Falcon, clearing about half of the staircase as he killed many soldiers. He then used his shield to block a sword swipe, but cringed as an arrow niched his leg. He kicked the swordsman down the stairs, and spun his shield and threw it down the stairs, the spinning knocking several soldiers off the stone stairs as they were rendered unable to move, falling to the ground in an uncoordinated fashion...

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_Six hours later..._

Alex stood on the roof of the fort, looking over the dead battlefield, thousand of people, enemy and friend alike, lay dead over the remenants of what had just seen a great deal of blood and violence. Blood was pouring down Alex's face, having been slashed in the head, his helm shielding him from most of the blow, though the wound would not become a scar, unlike most wounds in the head. As the rest of the Ad Libitum members and General Halvun stood next to him, Alex looked down at the surviving forces on both sides, the Pascans having finally surrendered, though it took many lives.

_Well...that officially wraps up the first half of our Granvoise campaign...now comes the hard part...the Trabadian Desert. Whatever lies here, we must conquer this region, or we'll never be able to attack Granvoise Castle and rescue our friends from the dungeons..._

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**Well, how'd it go? Unlike last chapter, I had a lot more fun writing this chapter, and it was not very hard to write compared to the other chapter! BTW, as a note, I shut down the forums due to a lack of results. Anyway, here are some voicing changes that I've made, mainly because I thought these voices would suit the characters better.**

**Valvus' seiyuu: Changed from Tessho Genda to Shuichi Ikeda.**

**Prophet's voice actor (high pitched): Changed from R. Martin Klein to Steven Staley.**

**Prophet's seiyuu (deep voice): Changed from Toshiyuki Morikawa to Bin Shimada (I know I already used Shimada for Tribilin, but I'm using him here too because I thought the voice sounded a bit more fitting.)**

**Alright, that's it. Read and Review!**


	18. Chapter 17: Descender's Holy Ground

**Yo! It is I, Final Poke Mario Fan, your loyal author. I have been summoned here today in order to give you the next chapter. Here you all go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 17: Descender's Holy Ground

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_City of Loret..._

It was now nighttime. Belladonna was sitting in the dining room with everyone else. She was eating some ham, cutting it up and putting it up, her helm raised up partially, as he helm visor was divided into two parts: one part could be raised for the mouth only, while the other part could show her whole face. Flanking her was another General, General Gozcus, and Vakus. Just then, a soldier came running through the door, panting with a surprised look on his face. Remembering where he was, he saluted briefly.

"Soldier, what's wrong?" Belladonna asked.

"A...a report came from one of the mines in the desert. The UFTW...they've taken over For Sudjulement!" The soldier explained. The entire table gasped, with the exception of Belladonna.

Belladonna sighed. "I thought this would happen. The UFTW has been moving through here at an incredible rate, so it's only natural. Lieutenant Vakus! Inform all soldiers that in the morning, they're moving out! General Gozcus! You will leading the desert unit in these upcoming battles! Make sure you have that desert armor equipped on you. However, leave twelve thousand soldiers in the city! We might need them if the UFTW manages to make it here! Alright you two, is that clear to you?"

"Yes ma'am!" Both replied. They stood up and ran out the door, the soldier following them. Belladonna sighed again, and sat back down in her chair, continuing to eat, thinking of something.

_Hmm...so the UFTW is now going to fight us in th desert, huh? Interesting...I can feel it...the Terresian Descender is in that unit. I feel like I _need _to meet him again...no matter what. There's something about him that draws my attention...but I don't know what it is...just some part of me wants to see him again. Also, I can't wait to fight him again...he's a great swordsman...one worthy of my own skills...Terresian Descender...come here so that I can fight you..._

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_Fort Sudjulement, two weeks later..._

Alex was sitting in a room in the fort, sighing as he read a report, a frown on his face. He had just read a battle report from General Halvun, where the UFTW had lost again. Ever since the UFTW had begun their desert campaign, they had seen nothing but defeats. It was quiet clear that the Pascans were well trained in desert warfare, while the UFTW had little to no experience in fighting in the desert, plus the Pascans' desert armor was giving them a clear advantage over all the battles. All in all, the situation wasn't good. Just then, a knock came from the door.

"Enter." Alex announced.

The door then opened, revealing Jade. In his right hand was a sheet of paper with some sort of drawing on it. Alex then turned around to Jade.

"Jade? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Jade shook his head. "No, it's not that. We've obtained a plate of the Pascan's desert armor, and we've created sketch to show you, as we've figured out how it works. We also have the plate down in the conference room, and we're about to have a meeting to discuss the Pascans armors. Since you are, of course, a Brigadier General, your prescence is required."

Alex looked with interest before nodding. "Alright, I'll be right there."

Jade nodded, and Alex got out of the chair he was sitting in. He then walked over to the door and opened it, revealing himself to the hallway in front of him, its thick stone walls shielding the fort, which could withstand even an Explosion spell. Alex and Jade walked side-by-side, light seeping in through the windows, the hour still very early, as it was only about six-fourty, Alex yawning, as he hadn't slept at all last night. They continued walking through the hallways until the reached the conference room door, then opened it.

Unlike all of the other conference rooms that Alex had been to so far, this one had a gigantic wooden round table, with about twenty-five chairs surrounding it. Alex actually liked the round table idea better than the rectangular table, as it made everyone closer and made it look like there were no superiors at the table. All of the generals and Ad Libitum members were already seated, and when Alex and Jade entered the room, everyone saluted at them, and the two saluted back, taking their respective seats at the table. Jade then cleared his throat, and spoke up.

"I'd like to thank all of you for coming here. Now that we're here, let's move on to the main topic of discussion. As you know, we have had a string of defeats from the Pascan army, who is clearly superior to us in all aspects of desert warfare, and they've clearly got all of the necessary skills to battle us. However, with the thanks of the intelligence we recieved from Sergeant Genis Sage, we have deduced another reason for their success: the armor that they're using. Now General Yaciel, if you would..."

General Yaciel, who was sitting next to General Halvun and Garr, nodded. "Yes, of course. Take a look at this, everyone."

With that, General Yaciel reached into his vacuum-space sphere and released an object, a piece of armor falling on the table. It was a light grey piece of armor with vent-like objects all over it. The material itself was light, but the armor was very hard. "As you can all see, this is the enemy's armor. We've noticed over the course of our battles over the last two weeks that they've been using this armor very easily. After examining it, we think we've found a few reasons why the enemy's using this armor so efficiently."

"First of all, the armor itself is light and very easy to move around in. Second of all, the armor is actually made of a light material, yet at the same time it's very light. We suspect that this armor is made of some sort of synthesized mythril, which fits the type of material, as mythril's very light, yet is also one of the hardest materials in the world. However, after taking a very close look at one part of the armor, we think we've found the true reason why this armor is making battles easy for the Pascans."

"Take a look at the vent-like pieces on the armor. The truth is, these parts really are vents. During the battles in the desert, there's frequently some light winds coming all around us. The truth is, while we get hot in our armor, these vents suck the wind in them, keeping the soldiers cool, which could make them last about three times as longer in battle than us. As far as we can see, this armor is virtually perfect for desert battles, with no weak points on it..."

Suddenly, one of the candles in the room went out.

Reid stood up. "I'll light it back up."

Reid then walked over to the candle, pulling a pack of matches out of his vacuum-space sphere. He then lit one, and re-lit the candle, the light coming back to it. Reid then returned to the table, blew out the match, and threw it on the table lazily, the match landing next to the armor, smoke still coming out of it.

Jade sighed. "So there we have it. A piece of armor that is light, has high defense, and has an effect that will ensure that the wearer will stay cool even in the desert. I hate to admit it, but not even I can think of a single weakness in this piece of armor."

Smelling the smoke from the match, Lloyd blew it away with his hand, creating a small wind in the room. "Yeah...but there's got to be a way! There just has to be one!"

Alex sighed, staring at the match. Suddenly, Alex saw the smoke go into the vents on the armor from Lloyd's wave that created a small wind like motion, all of the smoke being sucked up into the vents easily. The smoke then emerged from all of the openings on the armor, a strong concentration of smoke coming out of each opening. Alex looked at all of this with interest, the smoke resembling flames themselves the way they were shaped and the way it moved, like jets of flame emerging from a burning building.

Suddenly, an idea hit Alex like lightning. _Wait a minute...if the armor easily absorbed the smoke assissted by the wind...then maybe...just maybe...yes...I think I've found the weakness in this thing._ However, Alex also cringed internally, realizing that this weakpoint, if it really worked, would leave behind _very_ gruesome results.

"Everyone! I think I've found a weak point in the armor!" Alex announced. Everyone then grew quiet, staring at Alex, amazed.

"Alex, really? Where?" Raine asked.

Alex scratched the back of his helm. "Well...well it's only in theory, but...I'd like to test it out first. For this test, I'll need you, Jade, and you, Arche. Let's take this out to the courtyard of the fort to avoid damage. Is that alright with you, Jade?"

"I don't see any problems, if we could potentially find a weak point. Very well Alex, let's take this out to the courtyard." Jade replied. Everyone then got out of their chairs, General Yaciel taking the armor with him, and they all began walking towards the courtyard, the sun's light still early, the dawn upon all of them. As the time reached six-fifty, they reached the courtyard. When they reached the courtyard, they all stood in silence, waiting for Alex to say something, all eyes on him with curiosity.

Alex cleared his throat. "Right...could one of you get a training dummy and a pole for it, then place the armor on it?"

Lloyd nodded, and ran back into the fortress. A minute later, he returned with the dummy and the pole. He then set both of them in the ground. General Yaciel then took out the piece of armor, and placed it on the dummy.

Alex nodded. "Good. Alright then, Arche, go ahead and cast any wind spell on the target, though Cyclone would be preferable."

Arche nodded, and began casting. Towards then end of the casting, Alex turned to Jade. "Now Jade, begin casting Flame Burst, and time it so that it is in the same area as Cyclone, and while Cyclone is still active."

Jade nodded, and was also casting. Arche finished casting, and the Cyclone appeared, ripping the dummy, though the armor itself was not changed. A second later, Jade cast Flame Burst. The fire joined the tornado, making it aflame, but something startling happened to the armor. The flames, assisted by the winds, went into the vents, and a second later, flames emerged from every opening it the armor, and the dummy itself was roasted, and when the flame had died down, the dummy was completely charred, everyone gasping with their mouths wide in surprise.

_I knew it. _Alex thought. "As all of us just witnessed, the winds went in through the armors vents. But when the flames were added, the wind blew them into the vents, burning the dummy heavily. To the dummy, it became charred, but...if it was used on...on a...on a...human, they would become virtually roasted. While I believe that this sounds inhumane, unfortunately we have little choice if we're going to win the desert warfare. It's either we kill them without mercy, or they'll kill us without mercy."

Silence grew around everyone, shifting nervously and uncomfortably as they thought about this, a somewhat pained look on their faces upon this thought. Alex looked at all of them. While he thought the same as they did, he knew in his head that there was no other way. He shuddered internally. _Heh...look at me now...I hate killing, yet I've finally grown used to warfare and am willing to use all of these violent methods to achieve victory...I'm...I'm scum...I've become a monster...going directly against my own ideals..._

"...Interesting. I wonder how you thought of this weakpoint...though as long as it works, I guess that in the end it doesn't matter. Very well. Generals! Inform all of the mages of this weakpoint! If we're going to win the Trabadian Desert, this is probably the fastest and most effecient way, as our reinforcements won't be ready for another month and a half." Kratos stated.

"Yes sir!" All of the generals replied. They all ran off into the fort, and quickly wrote down instructions for the soldiers, posting them on the doors of the barracks and the mess hall, ensuring that not one soldier missed the messages. Within ten minutes, the deed had been done, all of the notes basically saying the same thing: the enemy's armor could easily be penetrated with a combination of wind spells followed by fire spells, and that all mages would be required to know wind and fire spells for the upcoming battles.

Alex sighed after finishing writing down his instructions, and sat in his chair in his room in the fort, looking over his paperwork as a general, a blank look on his face. Suddenly, the all too familiar white flash occured, sweeping over Alex's eyes. He turned around, and saw Prophet, who, as usual, had his arms crossed and his mask on, a piece of paper floating next to him.

"Ah, good morning, Prophet. You have today's notes for me?" Alex asked.

Prophet used his telekinesis to place the paper on Alex's desk. "Yes, that is part of the reason we are here...but there's also another reason."

Alex looked at Prophet, somewhat intrigued, somewhat annoyed, and somewhat exaspherated, sighing. "Whenever you say that you're here for something else, that usually means that you're either going to give me advice, some sort of recent developement has occured, or you have some bad news for me. So tell me, which one of those is it this time?"

Prophet snickered for a second, but then turned serious. "Actually Alex, it's none of those.We are here because there is somewhere that you need to go right now. It's imperative that you go there now."

A look of genuine surprise now appeared on Alex's face. "I have to go somewhere? Where is it?"

"You will see when you get there. First of all, leave a note on your door that says you need to go somewhere on Descender buisiness. Next, form a portal and go to the Pascan World Tree. Then, go into the portal there and head to...the center of it." Prophet explained.

"The...the center of the portal? But...but there's nothing there...right? There's nothing there...Prophet?" Alex asked, somewhat nervous at the prospect at what would be at the center of the portal.

"Wrong, Alex. There is indeed something there. Something so vital, that, in fact, the entire universe is bound to that place...along with one other place. But most importantly, the place is very important for o..._your_ kind." Prophet replied, Alex noticing that he almost said something else before he said 'your kind', though he shrugged it off.

Alex gasped. "My...my kind? You mean...the Descenders?"

"That is indeed correct, Alex. This place is _very _important for the Descenders. Once you reach this place, you'll understand its significance, but right now, there's little time to explain. It'd be best explained while you're there. So then, will you go there? All we can really tell you is that what you'll find there will be imperative by the end of the war." Prophet explained.

Alex looked even more shocked. "Really? Are...are you telling me the truth, Prophet? You're not just pulling some trick on me to make me go somewhere?"

"Alex, Alex. This does not sound like you at all. We have no reason to lie. We'll be waiting for you there. We should note that while we're there, we can stay their for as long as we want, for this location is not in the living world, though it's not in the world of the dead either. We shall see you shortly..." Prophet answered, and he faded away, time flowing back to normal.

Alex then sat back down at his desk, and was silent for a moment. He then grabbed a paper and wrote down something, then got two thumbtacks out of his desk, and opened his door, placing the note on the front of his door using one thumbtack and posting the notes from Jay, Genis, Cless and Harold on the other thumbtack, then shut the door. Closing his eyes, he searched his body for the teleportation mana. When he found it, he pictured the Pascan World Tree in his mind, and stretched his hand out. A second later, a portal was formed from his hand, and Alex walked through it...

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_Loret..._

Belladonna was sleeping in her room, her face covered by the blackness of the room, as it was a very cloudy day in Loret, and so there was no light in here room. Suddenly, she woke up, yawning widely. Just then, a strange pain was felt in her head, and she grabbed it, feeling as if something was tearing inside of it, as she was experiencing another mana overflow. Her teeth gritted, Belladonna grunted as she felt the mana continue to surge in her brain, an unintelligable voice ripping through it.

"Agh...damn it. Not again..." Belladonna moaned.

A few seconds later, she saw several images in her head, and felt something else through the mana overflow in her body. Finally, after another few seconds, the mana overflow stopped, and Belladonna fell on her bed and panted, the pain and feeling still fresh in her body as she struggled to think again, her head trapped in confusion.

_I...I could feel it. The Terresian Descender...he's at the World Tree now. How did I know that he was at the World Tree? Why did I feel the mana from him all the way from the World Tree. Also, what is the Terresian Descender doing at the World Tree?_

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_Pascan World Tree..._

As usual, the World Tree was quiet, with docile animals walking calmly around it, the wind blowing in the tree calmly, the tree's warmth protecting it from the cold wind in the middle of autumn, the new month having just started. The light of the blue portal remained there from when Alex had first arrived there, all the lifeforms in the tree used to it by now. Just then, Alex's portal appeared in the tree, scaring off the animals, and Alex walked out of the portal, looking around as the portal dissapated behind him.

Alex then proceeded to look at the place again in amazement, despite the fact he had been there a little less than two months ago. He looked at the yunanates, realizing that the blossoms were still maturing, even in the cold of the month of Bythios (A/N: The Pascan equivalent to November), and was surprised at how warm the tree was, and realized that it must be the world's mana that was keeping the place so warm, as there was no other energy that could have kept the tree so warm and alive.

Remembering the task at hand, Alex turned his face towards the portal in the center of the tree, having not changed since Alex was last there, the light still emitting from it with that feeling that he could be sucked in at any moment. Remembering Prophet's words, Alex gulped, but kept his face strong, refusing to let off any doubtful emotions. Pumping his hand into a fist, nervous to find out where he was going, Alex walked into the portal, the light absorbing him as he dissapeared, the portal remaining where it was.

Alex then found himself in what seemed to be a vastless world inside Gilgulim, seeing a dark purple realm in front of him, with traces of blue lights all over the place, illuminating the surreal realm. Alex wasn't surprised, as he had been in Gilgulim many times. He saw countless portals in front of him, with images of other worlds in front of them. Alex, able to move his body as if he were flying, head to the center of the realm, ignoring all other worlds. At the center, he saw a black portal, and reluctantly, he moved into it...

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_Unknown location..._

Alex emerged from the portal, entering an unfamiliar location. He was in front of a stone door on a platform, clearly thousands of years old. When he turned around, he wished he hadn't as all he could see around him was a dark abyss with nothing around him. Quickly turning around, Alex grabbed the handle to the door, and opened it, shutting the door behind him. What he saw next caused him to drop his jaw in amazement.

He was in a very long hallway made of old, brown stone, covered with various hieroglyphics and symbols, though there were a few words written in English. On the walls were several black spaces, though there were some filled spaces, though only one or two. But what really caught Alex's attention was the end of the hallway. At the end lay a magnificent shield on top of a stone pedestal. It was gold with a ruby in the middle, along with an emerald outline, along with diamonds plated lines all over the shield, giving it a very royal feel.

Amazed at this, Alex began walking towards the shield, as he wanted to get a closer look at the shield itself. Suddenly, Alex heard footsteps behind him, and he quickly turned around with his hand on the hilt of his sword, only to find Prophet standing behind him, and Alex then released his hand from his sword, relaxing as he looked at Prophet.

"Welcome, Alex...welcome to this holy ground." Prophet stated, and he started walking over towards the pedestal, stopping when he was near Alex.

Alex just looked at him in confusion. "'Holy ground'? Prophet...just what is this place? I've never seen anything like it before, not even on all of the other worlds I've been to. Just tell me, where are we, and why did you bring me here?"

Prophet then stood silent, glancing over at both sides of the wall for a second. "...Instead of asking us, it'd be better if you asked...It."

"'It'? Prophet, what are you talking a..." Alex began. Suddenly he grew silent as a red ball of light appeared right in front of him, growing by the second. Many rays of light started emerging from the ball, illuminating the whole room. Finally, the light stopped growing when it was about half of the size of Alex, Alex frozen in both fear and awe.

"_**Welcome, Alex...I wondered if I'd 'see' you again**_." The red ball of light spoke, a strange male voice emmiting from it.

"S...See me again? Who...who are you?" Alex asked in true fear now.

"_**I...I am the Guardian of Descenders. I am the one who creates all of the worlds Descenders, and I am the one who guards the holy ground, the Hall of Descenders. I remember you clearly...one of the most accomplished Descenders, after all. I am basically one of the Gods of the World, and only one other figure has more authority and power over me.**_" The red light replied.

Alex gasped in true surprise, and immediately bowed to the light. "So...so you're the one who created me? For...forgive me for my intolerance! I beg for your forgiveness!"

"_**Now, now, there's no need for that. I am not going to punish you for something you have not done, nor do I need you to pay reverance to me. Please, speak to me as you would to any other human. Please, feel free to ask me anything.**_" The Guardian replied, a somewhat amused tone in its voice.

"Oh...really? Well then...first of all, where am I?" Alex asked, a bit relieved and reassured by the Guardian's words.

"_**You are in the Hall of Descenders. This the place where all of the Descenders who are not being used in their worlds lie, and this is where all of them are created. This place is truly holy. It contains the past, present, and even the future of all of the worlds of the universe inscribed on these walls, having kept these records for thousands of years, recorded by the experiences of all of the Descenders**_." The Guardian answered compliantly, expecting Alex to be inquistive.

"So...so all of the Descenders are kept here? As well as records of...the future? How's that possible?" Alex asked.

"_**While the distant future is not always clear to us, there is a near future that we can always see. This near future is about...oh, one hundred or so years. However, depending on the actions of all living creatures, this near future can sometimes change in the blink of an eye. But as the Guardian of this realm, it is also from the Descenders that I learn of these futures. In many of these worlds, major events that often have the potential to change the universe are kept here specifically, written in special 'event words'.**_" The Guardian explained.

"Event words?"

"_**That's right. These event words are kept in this hall, as a reminder of the events to come. With these events words, I am reminded of important events of the past, present, and future of the universe so that while I'm creating Descenders, I know that while most of the are not the ones destined to carry out these events, I know that these events will determine how humanity is shaped so that I know whether the worlds need a Descender or not. If you want to look at the event words, look at the walls next to the pedestal.**_" The Guardian replied.

Alex then nodded, and walked over towards the pedestal with the majestic shield on it. When he got there, he looked around at the walls, and he saw the event words, all written in English. Alex then examined each and every one of them.

The first one, glowing white, read, "Phantasia".

The second one, glowing blue, read "Destiny". There was a line tracing from "Destiny" to another word, glowing white which read "Destiny 2".

The fourth word, glowing green, read "Eternia".

The fifth word, glowing blue, read "Symphonia". A line connected "Symphonia" to "Phantasia", and another line traced from "Symphonia to another word that glowed white, reading "Dawn of a New World", though there was a smaller set of words written directly above it reading "Knight of Ratatosk".

The seventh word, glowing green, read "Rebirth".

The eighth word, glowing red, read "Legendia".

The ninth word, glowing blue, read "Abyss".

The tenth word, glowing white, read "Innocence".

The eleventh word, glowing white, read "Vesperia".

The twelth word, glowing green, read "Radiant Mythology".

The thirteenth word had been destroyed completely, no record of it left on the wall.

The final word, glowing blue, which was connected to "Radiant Mythology" read "Trials of Life". Alex could feel a strange reaction coming from him at both words, something in his chest resonating with them.

Alex the turned his attention back towards the Guardian. "These are all of the event words?"

"_**That's correct, Alex. These events all have the potential to change the universe as you know it. Because they describe the stories of various different people who are involved in the events, I like to catagorize these events by giving them a prefix, which I call 'Tales of', for example, I call the Destiny event word Tales of Destiny, the Rebirth event word Tales of Rebirth, and so on and so forth. However, some of the people connected to these events are people that you already know, Alex."**_ The Guardian explained.

Alex looked at him, surprised. "I know some of the people in the event words? Who are they?"

"_**The Ad Libitum members, Alex. Every single one of them are, were, or will be involved in the event words. You too, are also in two of these event words."**_

Alex knew he was asking too many questions, but every statement that the Guardian had said so far had shocked him more and more, causing him to ask more. "The Ad Libitum members? My friends? And I'm in two of these events?"

"_**Yes, Alex. You are directly involved in the 'Radiant Mythology' and the 'Trials of Life' event words. The 'Radiant Mythology' event word was about your efforts to stop Gilgulim from devouring the universe. The 'Trials of Life' event word is about your current quest in the war with Pasca. Because these event words have affected many people from all the other worlds with event words, I have given these two event words the prefix 'Tales of the World'." **_The Guardian explained.

"Tales of the World, huh? I see now...I think I understand. Mind if I ask you something else?" Alex asked.

"_**By all means, go ahead. I understand what awe you must be feeling. Very few Descenders actually get to see this place, as most of them are in a hibernated state while they are here.**_" The Guardian complied.

Alex nodded. "Alright then...how do you know which Descenders are out on their own worlds and which ones are still here?"

"_**Oh, that. Well, take a look at the walls, and I'll explain.**_" The Guardian answered.

Alex then walked down the hallway, looking at both walls. He saw that there were many places on the walls that were missing, as if something were to fit in there. As he reached the middle of the hall, he noticed that one spot was not like that, and instead there was a red tablet there in its place. Puzzled as he always was in this place, Alex turned back to the Guardian.

"_**Ah, I see you've noticed. Let me explain. You saw the blank spots? That means that a Descender is here right now, and is in its hibernation spot. However, when you see a red tablet, it means that that Descender is out of its hibernation state and is currently active. In this case...this tablet is your tablet, Alex.**_"

Alex looked at the tablet, intrigued at this. He looked around the room, and saw one other red tablet. "Which world is this Descender from?"

Prophet moved his fingers for a few seconds before the Guardian spoke again. "_**I can't tell you. Like I told you before, there is one figure who has higher authority and power over me. This figure has told me through someone earlier that I am not allowed to tell you this, though why, I am unsure of.**_"

"Oh..." Alex replied, though his curiosity was now in motion. He then looked further on the wall, and he gave a look of surprise at two parts of the wall where the tablets would go. At these both of these spots, there was only half of a tablet there, both sides cut into half, and it was the opposite side of each other that had been cut, as one of them was missing its left side while the other one was missing its right side, and they were clearly not the same tablet. Confused, Alex turned to the Guardian.

"Why is there only half of each tablet there?" Alex asked.

"_**I am...unsure of this...five months ago, both tablets were active. Five months ago, however, one of the tablets dissapeared, and the next month, the other one dissapeared. However, about three months ago, half of each tablet reappeared here. The reason for this? Unfortunately, only the figure of higher power than me knows.**_" The Guardian replied.

Prophet then cleared his throat and turned to Alex. "While we can understand that you're intrigued by this place, Alex, unfortunately we have bigger things to worry about here. Guardian, shall we discuss about the Four to him?"

"_**You are right. Let us begin what Prophet has brought you here for. As you know, you are currently engaged in a violent war with Pasca, in order to stop its emperor, Valvus, from doing something. Well, what Valvus is doing...his plan, that is, is threatening the safety of the entire universe as you know it.**_" The Guardian began.

"The...the universe?!" Alex exclaimed.

"_**Correct. His plan involves something that threatens the universe. In order to combat this, while you are fighting a war with his country, that will not be nearly enough. There is limited time, and you must make it to the capital of Lavard while you are there. Even if you take Lavard, however, no matter how fast you get there, you may be too late. In order to stand a chance against Valvus and his plan, Descenders are needed. Descenders such as you, Alex. However, you alone cannot defeat Valvus.**_"

"Then...what must I do?"

"_**You need other Descenders to assist you. Unfortunately, I cannot create or send out anymore Descenders. Valvus' plan has already reached a phase where I am unable to do so. Fortunately, there are three other Descenders out there across all of the other worlds. According to the future I have in mind...you will not find them. Rather, they will come to you instead and offer their aid. And fortunately, the four Descenders, including you, have to correct powers needed to defeat Valvus." **_

Alex, already confused, looked at the walls. "Four Descenders, huh. And what do you mean, the correct powers?"

"_**Allow me to explain. Every Descender has a unique power that can only be used by them alone. With these powers, they are all capable of doing many things...but if these powers were to be used together, they would have incredible results...results that could, in fact, be so powerful that they'd even be capable to destroy all life in the universe if used in the wrong way. However, we have faith in you...we know you would not use these powers unless needed.**_"

"..." Alex grew silent at that, remembering the incident where he had carelessly used his power at Castle Arcos.

"_**Now that you've been informed of the situation, we shall now tell you the names of the powers these four Descenders, yourself included, are and what they're for.**_"

"_**The first is the power of Mana Destruction. This is your power, Alex, so we assume you know what it is. Originally, you could only use it to destroy Gilgulim nodes. However, when I knew you were needed for a second time, I matured your body's systems so you could use it at will, as I realized there were times you would need to use it.**_"

"So is that why my body matured from 14 years old like I was in the Gilgulim incident to the 17 year old body I'm in now?" Alex asked.

"_**Yes, that's right. Your body was matured so that you could handle your power better and use it at will. However, while your body gets strained from using that power, I will explain a way that will get you around it later.**_"

"_**Next is the power of Mana Defense. The Descender of Mana Defense has the power to manipulate mana and use it like a shield to protect themself from a powerful attack. There's no telling what Valvus has in store, so this power is an absolute must have.**_"

"_**After that is the power of Mana Healing. The Descender of Mana Healing can take mana from nearby and use it to heal your body back to full strength in extreme situations, though the strain is great. Again, you may not be able to use healing artes, so you might need this power in an emergency.**_"

"_**Last is the power of Mana Spell. The Descender of Mana Spell can use mana to boost their spells and make them twice as potent. For healing artes as well as destructive artes, this mana ability is very useful, and will definitely become useful in the battle against Valvus. Now, there's one more thing I must tell you.**_"

"_**Valvus is searching for three objects to accomplish his goals. 6350 years ago, I created the first Descenders. Originally, there were no multiple worlds. Instead, the worlds were one, gigantic world. However, the people there fought often, and there was always war, so the figure with more power than me decided that it was time to split that world into countless other worlds. However, before it did that, the figure allowed me to do something with the world using the Descenders. I had the Descenders create six artifacts.**_"

"_**Three of them were to be used if humanity was deemed to be too corrupt around the universe. The other three were created as a countermeasure to those three so that humanity, if they wished, would have a safeguard against that plan. The countermeasure artifacts can be utilized by Descenders better than any other human. However, when all three are in the hands of one Descender, they can unlock the full potential of that Descender and other nearby Descenders. Alex, see the shield on the pedestal?**_"

"Hmm? Yeah, I see it. What about it?" Alex asked, listening carefully to the Guardian.

"_**That's the first of the three countermeasure artifacts, the Heaven's Guard. It was originally meant to be on the physical worlds, but...something happened, and the shield was left trapped here. It is perhaps the strongest shield in existence, capable of taking nearly countless blows. Alex, I must ask you a question first. Will you do this task for us? Will you, along with the three other Descenders, protect the universe from Valvus, no matter what the cost?**_"

Alex stood in dead silence for a few minutes, until he finally spoke. "...Yes. I'll do it. I will protect the universe and defeat Valvus, even if it means my death. I promise that I will find the other three Descenders and I will stop Valvus!"

"_**Very good. Then Alex, go ahead an take the shield.**_"

Alex was completely shocked. "W...WHAT?! M...me?"

"_**Yes, you. You agreed to defend the universe, correct? Then you're going to need all the power you can get. If you find all three artifacts, then you will unlock your full potential as a Descender, as well as the other three's potential. With your unlocked potential, I believe you can defeat Valvus with your new power. So by all means, take it.**_" The Guardian replied.

Alex nodded, and walked up to the pedestal, putting his Fencer Shield in his vacuum-space sphere. He reached the shield, and slowly, he grabbed it, his fist wrapped around the middle of it at the holding point. The second he grabbed it, he could suddenly feel something coarsing through his body. When it finished, Alex felt like something was..._different_ about him. Confused, he quickly turned towards the Guardian.

"_**Oh, right, I forgot to mention that. Whenever you obtain one of the three artifacts, you and the other Descenders will get stronger in your Descender powers as well as all around stronger. You'll soon see what I mean in battle. Now Alex, do you thing you've seen everything that you needed to see?**_"

"Huh? Oh, uh...yeah." Alex replied.

"_**Then I shall teleport you back to the fort on Pasca. Brace yourself, unlike your portals, this is not going to feel smooth.**_" The Guardian explained. Suddenly, Alex was surrounded by a yellow sphere of light, which stretched up to the roof. Suddenly, Alex felt shaking, and suddenly, he shot out of the building at a high speed, screaming.

Prophet sighed. "Looks like he's our best hope now."

"_**Oh? I'd say that may be true, but who are you to talk? You've involved yourself into this too, 'Prophet'. A truly fitting name for what you do, I must say. I might have told him the full truth if you hadn't motioned to me. Or was it the Soul who commanded that?**_"

"...Both. It is not time for him to know yet. We want to tell him, but...that would distract him from his true mission first. We'll tell him eventually, though...he needs to know the truth eventually." Prophet replied, his head lowered.

"_**And when will that 'eventually' come?**_"

Prophet looked at the walls, silent. "Maybe...maybe when he finds out about the other thing you lied to him about."

"_**Now THAT is something that would distract him from his mission. That truth is one he must discover on his own, or he'll get so distracted he'd probably die in battle. All I can say to him now is 'good luck'. He's going to need it for the trial that lies ahead of him.**_"

Prophet nodded. "Indeed..."

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_Fort Sudjulement..._

Alex screamed as he kept descending to Pasca at a high speed, going through half of the world at top speed. Finally, when he was above the fort, the light stopped, and brought him down slowly, eventually bringing him to his room, landing on the bed. Alex rolled his eyes, and looked at his new shield, silence overtaking him as he stared at it.

_So...Valvus' plan could endanger the universe? Well, not for long! Valvus...I swear I'll find the three Descenders, and together, we will bring you down to hell!_

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**Hey, how was it? This chapter has been the first non-action chapter in a while, I know. And I also know that I wrote Alex a little OOC in this chapter, but I couldn't really think of much for him to say other than questions in the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and while we're here, he's some information on the Guardian of Descenders.**

**Guardian of Descenders: A mysterious divine being that watches over the Descenders as well as creating them and sending them out.**

**Voice actor: Steven Jay Blum. Seiyuu: Takumi Yamazaki.**

**BTW, there's another poll up on my profile! Hopefully, this one should be more interesting!**

**Hope you all enjoyed it!**


	19. Chapter 18: Bitter Truth of War

**Hello all of you! As your faithful author, Final Poke Mario Fan, I have continued my duty of writing another chapter for you! Ready? Then go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 18: Bitter Truth of War

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_UFTW camp, north of the city of Loret, one week after Alex visited the Hall of Descenders..._

The day was a cloudy one, the skies grey. Fortunately, no storm had passed, and it didn't look like a storm would pass either. A light breeze blew through the encampment, thousands of tents pitched in the desert. A bird flew over the sea of green tents, its eyes wavering down on the encampment, apparent curiosity in its gaze. Its gaze quickly turned to horror as it saw an arrow flying straight towards it. It quickly swerved, barely avoiding the arrow, and then flew away frantically, trying to get away as quickly as possible.

From above the camp, Arche sighed as she watched this, Chester having attempted to shoot a bird down with an arrow, then she gasped as the arrow nearly hit her. "Hey Chester! How about you think before you aim next time!?"

Chester, who hadn't noticed Arche during his "target practice", grunted at this, clearly irritated. "Well, maybe if you'd watch where you were going, you might have been able to be far away from the arrow! Then again, you are kind of slow on that broom now than you used to be...maybe it's a lack of reflexes?"

From farther away, Alex sighed as he watched this display, with Arche blowing up at this comment, and the two of them were locked in one of their useless arguments. He then decided to just sit down, as he was about to go into a strategy meeting in a few minutes. Leaning next to a tent, Alex crouched down and sat on the sand, placing his shield down next to him, the gems dim on the shield dim in the day's weather. Alex then looked off in the distance, thinking about how this last week had gone.

Thanks to his gruesome suggestion of using combinations of wind and fire spells on the enemies armor, which would literally roast the enemy alive, the UFTW had successfully managed to get through the desert, burning the Pascan forces alive, which Alex had brutally witnessed thousands of times. Looking back, he wish he hadn't discovered the armor's weakpoint, but he knew that if he hadn't, they either wouldn't have gotten through the desert, or they would have been forced to use more genocidal-like methods.

_Besides...we're on a short scheduele. In about a week, Tribilin will be released from his one month confinement...and if he does...Cless, Genis, Harold, and Jay will...no, I can't think about that. We _needed _to do it, even if it meant the...no, not that. Still, we need to win the battle for Loret and win the desert, then storm Castle Granvoise as quickly as possible. However, we also need to investigate the nearby ruins that, according to reports, is called the Ruins of Hamarabi, as the Pascans have been excavating in that area recently._

_Now I know the truth about what the Pascans are excavating...they're looking for the three Descender artifacts that, apparently, are to be used if "humanity becomes corrupt". Unfortunately, the Guardian of Descenders didn't tell me the full details on what that meant or what it would do. The only thing I can do...is try to find the other two countermeasure artifacts and the other three Descenders...then I'll be able to stop Valvus' plan...whatever it actually is._

_There is so much to do...and so little time to actually do it. One week is very little time to accomplish all of this...how will we be able to do it in time without risking the lives of those four? Seven days left...everyone...please wait for me...and no matter what...don't give in to that bastard Tribilin's torture...you all _must _survive no matter what...or I'll never forgive myself._

_Valvus...while he's the enemy, there's so little I actually know about him. Even though he's the whole reason we're all here in the first place, all I really know about him is his name, what he looks like, and the facts that he's the emperor of Pasca and that he could create portals. However, I'm pretty sure that Intelligence has a profile on him that they collected in one of the forts or towns...I think I'll go pay their tent a visit and take a look at Valvus' profile...after all, the more you know about your enemy, the better you understand them._

Alex then got up off the ground, and walked around the campsite, navigating through the maze like labyrinth of tents. After about four minutes of navigating, he finally came to a large orange tent. Walking to its entrance, he pushed aside the falds and walked into the room. Inside the tent was a room filled with several desks, along with several vacuum-space spheres lined up, letters of the alphabet under each one. A man behind one of the desks noticed Alex at the entrance, and instantly saluted him.

"Ah, General Terresca! Can we help you with anything?" The man asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Do you have a file on Valvus? I would like to take a look at it."

"Of course we do. Just wait a minute." The man replied. He then got out of his desk, and walked over to the vacuum-space sphere with the letter V underneath it. He looked through the vacuum-space sphere, and procured a manilla folder with several papers inside it.

"Here you are, General Terresca. Valvus' file." The man stated.

"Thank you." Alex replied. He then walked out of the tent and then proceeded to navigate through the tent maze again until he reached his own tent, the manilla folder still under his arm. When he entered his tent, he went over to his hammock, lied down, and opened the folder, reading the carefully stapled file on Valvus, looking over the page. It read:

**File: Valvus Goden**

**Sex: Male**

**Birthdate: Caen (A/N: The Pascan equivilent of March) 4th, 1554**

**Age: 45**

**Hair color: Brown**

**Eye color: Amethyst**

**Known relatives: Portus Goden (father, deceased as of 1557), Mesca Goden (mother, deceased as of 1581)**

**History: Valvus Goden was born in the city of Gatas in 1554 to Mesca Goden, a wealthy noblewoman, and Portus Goden, a self-proclaimed traveler. When Valvus was three, his father was murdered by a group of people who proclaimed themselves as members of a group named the Unterlange Morter. The group was then executed by the Lavard government, and the incident was cleared up. Valvus grew up normally, and graduated from the Gatas Academy fourth of his class.**

**After graduating, Valvus joined the military, and took part in the Granvoise-Lavard Conflict of 1577. Valvus was promoted quickly in the war, raising from a Private to a Lieutenant by the end of the war. Valvus was most notable for the Battle of Arcos, where Valvus single handedly took over the heavily guarded Castle Arcos, by sneaking in at night and locking the enemies in their barracks, allowing the rest of the army to storm in and slaughter the Granvoise soldiers at the castle.**

**Valvus was also heavily involved in the naval warfare in the war, and he managed to lead a pincer attack on the city of Shiroc, by attacking the city from one side on the ground and the navy attacking the city from the ocean, forcing the city to surrender. For his extensive campaign actions in Granvoise, Valvus was awarded the Lavard Platinum Cross, one of the highest military achievements ever in the military.**

**Imnmediately after the war, Valvus' whereabouts remained unknown for three months. When he returned after that time, he returned with a twelve year old boy named Siltran Deios (For more information about Siltran, look at Siltran's profile in the Archives). Valvus raised the boy as his own, and although Valvus never officialy adopted him, the two of them were like father and son. Valvus then returned to Gatas, and stayed there until his mother died in 1581 of cancer.**

**Valvus then left Gatas and went to the capital city of Lavard, where he became part of Lavard's elite military forces, and was promoted all the way up to colonel. In the next war, the Lavard-Scollance War of 1583, Valvus lead many attacks, his forces destroying many mana plants (for information on the mana plants, look at the file of Pascan History-The Great War Era- 1540-1596). For all of his actions, Valvus was promoted to general, and he was the leader of the forces in the final battle of the war at the city of Helmos, where he used similar tactics that he used in the Battle of Shiroc.**

**At this time, Valvus continued fighting in the many wars that followed this war, and he was mainly known as "The Mana Killer of Lavard", since his attacks in the wars were mainly directed at locations in Pasca that were known for squandering mana. However, like the rest of Pasca, Valvus was "killed" by the Pascan Descender known as Kanonno in what has been known as the Descender Annihilation Incident.**

**However, after the Gilgulim incident ended, Valvus was revived along with the rest of Pasca. Realizing their mistakes in warfare, all three nations immediately signed peace treaties with each other that ended all of the long wars with each other, and all of them were at peace. Seizing this chance, Valvus assembled a massive army of supporters. With his two generals Darius Izas and Tribilin Hemoses, Valvus launched a three way attack on the capitals of Granvoise, Scollance, and Lavard at the same time. With them unprepared, Valvus conquered all three, and unified Pasca, becoming the Emperor of Pasca.**

**After establishing himself as Emperor, Valvus located and recruited General Belladonna into his personal generals (for more information on the recruitment of Belladonna, see her profile.). With these three, Valvus began traveling around many worlds using a teleportation power that Valvus was born with. However, the true meaning of these actions are unknown.**

**(End Valvus' history)...**

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_Loret, afternoon..._

The whole city was abuzz with action, a frantic feeling filling the hearts of every man, woman, and child in Loret. Soldiers were scrambling quickly, making sure that the civilians were all safe in the evacuation shelters, which would protect them from the UFTW's assault and send them, through a spell, to Lavard, where Valvus would figure what to do with them. Another group of soldiers were building up the defenses of the city, while others will quickly performing some last minute miscelleneous tasks needed for the battle tommorow, such as transporting supplies and equipment around the city.

From the military base, Belladonna glanced out of her window with sadness on her face behind her helm. She stared out to the cloudy skies, thinking of all of her soldiers that had been gruesomely killed during the recent desert battles. She didn't know how the UFTW had thought of it, but they had found a weakness in the desert armor, and they were exploiting it the best they could. As a result, almost all of the desert had been lost, though all of the mine cave-ins had been successful so far.

Just then, a knock came at her door. Belladonna turned to the door, and announced that the person could enter. Vakus then entered the room again, looking at Belladonna.

"General Belladonna, there is a strategy meeting downstairs that you must attend. Please follow me." Vakus stated.

Belladonna nodded, and began walking out of the room, grabbing her bastard sword from its position next to her bed, lifting it up with one hand easily. Belladonna noticed that she had gotten a lot stronger since the war began, as overall, her body felt much stronger, faster, and more perceptive in battle, and now could support the weight of a bastard sword in one hand without breaking a sweat. Belladonna guessed that it probably had to do with all the battles and training she had done recently.

Holding the sword, Belladonna walked with Vakus down the hallways of the military base, more soldiers moving around the base quickly with various pieces of equipment. Belladonna then looked on the floor, noticing a carpet, which concealed a trapdoor on the floor of the hall. The trapdoor lead to an underground tunnel system. Originally, the military base had been a smuggler's hideout, and the smugglers would use the trap door to load there cargo on mine carts underground, since the tunnels lead to the Ures River, where a ship could easily pick up the cargo.

Staring at it again for a second, Belladonna turned back up and continued walking down the corridors of the stone building. Eventually, she and Vakus reached the conference room. Vakus opened the door, gesturing for Belladonna to go in. Belladonna nodded, and walked in, seeing all of the other military officers there, who saluted her on sight. She repeated the gesture, then took her seat at the edge of the table. Belladonna then cleared her throat, but a general interrupted her abruptly.

"General Belladonna, before we start the meeting, we must tell you that the magic transfusion package for you has arrived from Lavard." The general stated.

Belladonna looked surprised. "Really? Where is it?"

The general then took out a brown package from under his seat, and sent it sliding towards her. Belladonna grabbed the package, and opened it. Inside the package was a black medical kit, labeled **LEVEL THREE MAGIC TRANSFUSION PACK**. Belladonna opened the kit, and saw inside it was a syringe with some sort of blue liquid inside it. Removing her left gauntlet, Belladonna took the syringe, and injected it into her left wrist, her gritting her teeth from the needle, as the blue liquid began to flow through her, the feeling of mana rushing through her. When she finished, she put the kit away, and looked at the officers.

"What actions have the UFTW been taking since this morning?" Belladonna asked.

One of the officers, a colonel, brought out a sheet of paper. "According to our scouts, they're camped about two miles out of this city, and are gathering there power for an assault, but they have not made a move yet. They will most likely attack tommorow morning, so for now, we still have another twelves hour to prepare the defenses. Also, they've got at least ten thousand soldiers in the camp."

Belladonna lowered her head, placing her right hand on her helm, sighing. "I see...in any case, we still have enough time to formulate an official strategy. Thinking about it carefully, I think I have an idea on how we can use the cities' grid like structure to our advantage, in multiple ways. Vakus, please pull up a map of the city, if you would."

Vakus nodded, and walked over to the edge of the room, specifically the right wall. He then grabbed a scroll from a nearby table, and opened it, revealing a map, and when he had rolled it fully open, he then used a knife he had in a holster at his breast pocket. Belladonna nodded, then stood up, walking over towards the map on the wall.

"As we can all see, here is a map of Loret. Now, we all know that Loret was designed in the style of a grid. According to the architect's notes, he said that this was so that navigating the city would be easy. But...there's something else we can use with the pattern. First of all, tell the soldiers to stop building fortifications. I'll explain why later. There are many intersections in Loret, and the UFTW doesn't know about the cities' layout. Therefore, there's many things we use this for our advantage...one of these ways includes a certain device that I acquired from Master Valvus..."

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_UFTW military campsite, nighttime..._

It was now dark, the sun having descended behind the sky, the moon rising from an opposite direction, its pale white light shining upon everything, the clouds now dissapated. Most of the soldiers had long since fallen asleep, there eyes shut in their cots in the many tents in the area. Some other officers were walking around, patrolling the campground, making sure the Pascans didn't launch an ambush on the UFTW. However, inside his tent, Alex was laying on his cot with his eyes wide open, unable to sleep.

_Tommorow...tommorow's the final battle for the desert...This battle will decide our fate, as well as the Pascans. If we win, then they've lost their foothold in Granvoise, as well as a good amount of their resources. However, if they win, then not only will we all die, but the UFTW will recover all of their lost territory. We can't let that happen, no matter what. Our reinforcements won't be ready for another month or so, so we're really low on soldiers right now, as the attack on Darlian devastated our forces, and the rest of our military is too busy trying to hold back the Pascans up north._

_What's more, we need a navy badly. According to the maps, the only way to get to Scollance_ _that isn't by sea is the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, a twenty mile long bridge that connects the gap between the continents of Granvoise and Scollance. A spell speeds up travel there so that it only takes about half an hour or so, but that's not the point. The point is that it's heavily defended by the Pascans, and at our current state, it's inpenentrable, and even with the reinforcements, it's almost impossible._

_We're not an invincible army, after all. No army is invicible. However, that also means that the Pascans are not invincible either. Even if their defense is rock solid, there's got to be some sort of opening in their defenses. If they fight us with more power than us, than we'll have to fight with more power than them. Reid once told me that if they fight with one hundred percent of their power, than we simply fight them with four hundred percent of our power. A little simple and foolish, but I get the point._

_Anyway, we don't have much else to do. We must strike them hard and efficiently, and take them out as soon as possible. Belladonna...she's there in that city, I know it. I have this feeling that is telling me so. As much as I hate fighting, I do want to fight her again...the two of us can face each other as equals, however, I have something that she doesn't...the power of a Descender. I know not to get cocky, but she still lacks the advantages I have as a Descender...the most important advantage being my recent power boost..._

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_Loret, dawn..._

Belladonna was awake now, hiding inside a random house inside the city, in wait for the UFTW army. Her bastard sword was on her left hip, a spell cast on it that would prevent Belladonna from feeling the weight of the sword while it was in its sheath, as well as making it so that when she moved around, the weight of the bastard sword wouldn't slow her down. Suddenly, she squinted as she saw the first rays of the morning sun creep through the house's window, though her helm filtered most of the rays.

"It finally begins." Belladonna commented...

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_Campsite, same time..._

Alex was now standing at the lead of his unit, prepared to go into battle. He quickly scanned the force of about seventeen thousand, and he quickly found the seven other Ad Libitum members there. They were Chester, Arche, Reid, Jade, Tear, Philia, and Garr. He could see three other generals also up with him: General Halvun, General Yaciel, and Jade. The wind blew slightly, the sands moving up with the force blown against them. Alex then stared at the city of Loret, the oasis nearby still dark at dawn.

The military then silently began marching forward towards the dead looking city, as if there wasn't a living soul anywhere in the city. The feeling made everyone nervous, and Alex began to develop a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, starting to look around nervously. Chester and Garr scanned the city with their eyes, their hawk-like vision perceiving everything that was around them. Suddenly, when they finished their scan, they both gasped in shock, everyone turning to look at both of them.

"Chester, Garr, what's wrong?" Jade asked.

Chester glanced directly at Jade, Garr following suit. Chester then spoke up. "It's the city, Jade...there's no one at the gates or around it! No civilians or soldiers are in sight!"

Everyone gasped at this comment, shocking the cores of the army. Jade then directed his attention to Garr. "Garr, can you confirm what Chester said to be true?"

Garr nodded. "Yes...Chester is right. I can't spot a single enemy soldier...and this feeling about the town. There are clearly no soldiers in the front gates, but the feel of the town makes it seem like the city itself is deserted."

Jade placed his hand on his chin. "I see...Everyone! Keep your guard up! We don't know what will happen when we enter the city! For all we know, this could be a trap! Also, keep your eyes out for the enemy!"

The military nodded, and kept marching, though that dreadful feeling in Alex's stomach seemed to grow bigger and bigger as they apporoached the city. He felt terrified at not knowing the source of the dread, and no matter what he tried to do to reassure himself, all he could feel was growing fear. Cautiously, the UFTW entered the town's gate, and confirmed what Chester and Garr had said: no one was standing at the gates, not one single soldier, civilian, merchant, or even a guard for that matter.

The military then looked around, and walked forward on the main street of the city, many shop stands clear in the middle of the street, and most of them were next to houses, not a sound coming from them. Alex glanced around nervously, and he was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice other soldiers had gone ahead of him. As they reached the first intersection, the soldiers took another look around, and when they saw nothing, they shrugged and walked into the middle of the intersection, and what happened next shocked everyone.

When a soldier stepped in the middle of the intersection, there was a giant explosion. Hundreds of soldier were flown up into the air by the explosion, and landed all around the city. Alex gasped as a soldier's body landed right next to him, his face completely charred. Suddenly, all the doors in the plaza burst open as hundreds of Pascan soldier rushed out into the street, killing many soldiers who were caught off guard, Alex quickly drawing his sword.

"_**SHIT!**_ We fell for their trap!" Chester grunted, quickly trying to pick off soldiers with his bow.

"No time to think about it now! We've gotta fight, after all!" Reid exclaimed, quickly blocking an enemies blow.

Grunting, Jade impaled a soldier on his lance. "Damn, this is not good! Soldiers! Fend off the enemies' attack, then search the houses! And no matter what, try to stay out of the intersections!"

Alex nodded, and quickly used Spreading Chaos, killing some soldiers around him. He quickly noticed the soldiers were not wearing the desert armor, and thus the wind-fire spell trick wouldn't work on them. He then cursed, and quickly used Omega Falcon, spinning and killing another couple of soldiers. As he landed, he was swarmed by soldiers, and barely used Victory Light Spear in time to escape them.

_Crap, we're getting boxed in. I must say, that was very clever on the part of the Pascans. But now, there's one thing I should do._

In the air, Alex concentrated, and found his destructive power. Charging it up, he crashed right on the ground, soldiers above him. Before they could strike, he fired the energy, which shot through the entire main street of Loret, and almost instantly, about fifty other landmines exploded, the explosions blinding everyone. Alex felt a little tired, but he still had strength.

_Whew...it's good that I got that Descender power boost last week. Now that I have it, instead of collapsing whenever I use the destructive power, I can use it twice a day before losing consciousness. Alright, now we can spread out a bit!_

As if on cue, the UFTW then started charging forward, running ahead in the street. The Pascans gave chase, but the mages quickly cast some spells, blocking them off as they were hit by various elemental spells. Just then, more soldiers popped out of the houses, but this time, the UFTW were prepared, though they were at a clear disadvantage from the ambush. Alex quickly used a Demonic Chaos, sending a series of shockwaves at one of the doors, killing a few unlucky soldiers on their way out.

Meanwhile, Reid was attacking in a similar matter to Alex, mainly with a combination of ground and aerial attacks. He thrust his sword into a soldier's chest, and quickly retrieved it and used Demon Spiral Hammer, spiraling up into the air and slashing a few more soldiers. He landed, and followed his attack up with a Super Lightning Blade, thrusting his sword forward, a bolt of lightning coming out of it. As he withdrew it, he gasped as he saw a soldier about to strike him, but suddenly an arrow from Chester hit the enemy in the head, killing him.

Chester then quickly grabbed another arrow. Feeling a little risky today, Chester used Dragon Slayer, the arrow shooting out, then breaking up into several red balls, hitting into the crowd and killing several soldiers. Chester then grabbed another arrow from his quiver and fired it into the crowd. He then grunted as he drew out another arrow, as he was upset that he couldn't use most of his skills while in the city, because combat was too close ranged. He then fired the arrow, and readied another one as it hit its target.

Nearby, Jade was also doing well. He had been practicing to cast artes while using his spear at the same time, and was now putting that talent to good use, as he thrust his spear through a soldier's head, then cast Thunder Blade, which crashed down on several of the soldiers, the voltage spreading a bit and killing a few extra. As Jade relaxed, he quickly impaled another soldier as he began casting again, the long battle continuing on...

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_Loret, eight hours later..._

By now, it was now past two, but the battle raged on relentlessly, the battle continuing throught the city, many of the landmines having been tripped by now. In the military base, Belladonna was now standing on the roof of the building along with several other soldiers, Vakus right next to her. Just then, a colonel ran up to the roof, and saluted Belladonna, who turned to him.

"Colonel, give me a battle update." Belladonna asked.

The colonel nodded. "Yes, General Belladonna. Currently, we seemed to be deadlocked. The UFTW have superior numbers, but our landmines and ambushes have worn them down well. However, with most of the landmines gone, the UFTW are starting to fight back with more force, and are pushing some of us back."

Belladonna nodded. "I expected so. The Terresian Descender took out one entire row of our landmines, so it's to be expected that their numbers aren't as low as expected. Still, they should be here soon now. Get all of the soldiers to defend here, and bring all archers up on the roof. Also, plant the special mines if it comes to it to destroy our records. The last thing we need is the UFTW finding our important documents."

"Understood, General Belladonna!" The colonel exclaimed. He ran down the stairs, headed for the battlegrounds. Belladonna sighed, and looked down at the constant fighting going on below all of them, watching as soldiers on both sides seemed to die in every second, blood splattering all over the ground, dead. A grim expression filled Belladonna's concealed face, a bit of disgust on it.

_Look at all of this. All of this fighting. All of this killing. Maybe I was wrong to question Master Valvus. After today, I believe he has the correct idea about humanity. Even though there may be good people, there is no escaping conflict. No one wants to understand each other, and can only solve their thirst for dominance by war. Master Valvus' plan...if it goes through without a snag, then maybe, just maybe, this time around, humanity will realize their mistakes and coexist together._

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_Half an hour later..._

The battle had now moved around the military base, the Pascan army now surrounding it on all sides, determined to protect it, arrows being launched from the roof. Alex grunted, his wounds from the battle starting to catch up with him. He then quickly ran through the battlefield, slicing soldiers around him. Soon, the UFTW's archers began counterattacking, their arrows going back and forth between the UFTW and the Pascans, both sides getting their numbers reduced heavily by the carnage.

Jade fired a Thunder Blade at the base, though he noted he was running out of mana to use for artes. He then quickly used a Pineapple Gel, his mana restoring by a lot. He then suddenly noticed a lot of arrows headed towards him, and he quickly ran out of the way to avoid them, hiding behind a building with his spear at the ready, trying to cast Prism Sword.

Meanwhile, Belladonna was crouched down on the roof, hiding down behind the wall. She wanted to go downstairs and assist the ground forces, but the crossfire with the arrows was too heavy to let her pass down. Vakus was also crouched next to her, waiting for the opportune moment to head down the stairs. When things started slowing down, Vakus nodded to Belladonna, and the two stood up.

Noticing General Belladonna, Chester got ready to kill her. Grabbing an arrow, he aimed his bow at her and used Giga Fang, the arrow growing nearly ten times its size, and he fired it, the arrow headed straight for Belladonna's body, which could kill her on impact. Chester grinned to himself, thinking that he had finally gotten one of Pasca's most powerful generals.

Vakus turned around, and his face turned to an expression of horror as he saw the arrow headed towards Belladonna. "BELLADONNA, WATCH OUT!"

Belladonna turned around and saw the arrow and stared at it in fear, not having enough time to dodge it. Just then, she felt herself being knocked over by something, and crashed to the ground, her eyes shut, a horrible scream ringing out. She could fell something warm fall in between the spaces in her helm, and when she opened her eyes, they changed to complete shock and horror.

Vakus was holding on to her, shielding her with his body. The Giga Fang arrow had impaled him, piercing his right lung and nicking his heart, and had broken his armor. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his blood dripped from his chin into Belladonna's helm. He had a look of excrutiating pain on his face, but he also had a smile on his face.

"I'm...I'm...gla...d...I wa...s ab...le to pr...pr...otec...t you...Bel...lado...nna...Li...ve...on...you...mus...t...n...ot...di...e he..r...e..." Vakus stated, in a strained voice. With that, his eyes fell shut, and his body fell over, motionless.

Belladonna stared at Vakus' body with horror, grief, and anger, as she saw her most loyal officer die in front of her eyes...protecting _her_ life, nonetheless, tears welling up in her eyes. "VAKUS! You bastards...YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"

With a bloodcurling warcry, Belladonna ran down the stairs, removing her bastard sword from its sheath. She then reached the door, and slammed it open, and with a cry of fury, she ran into the crowd of soldiers, slashing down UFTW soldiers left from right. Chester gulped as he saw Belladonna charging straight towards him. She was like a human battering ram, going straight in her path and knocking down anything in her way. Chester then readied an arrow, but Belladonna was quicker, and charged into Chester, knocking him to the ground. Before she could strike the death blow, Alex fired a Demonic Chaos at her, and she dodged. The two then stared off again.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later today, Terresian Descender." Belladonna stated, her bastard sword at the ready.

Alex now felt a small bit of anger at Belladonna. "You...you just tried to kill one of my friends...and I can't let you get away with that."

Belladonna shrugged. "This man...he just killed one of my friends, so why should I spare him? He killed Vakus...and for this, he must pay the ultimate price for killing my most loyal officer."

Alex readied his sword. "Unfortunately for you, I can't let that happen. I trust you remember what your last words to me when we last fought in Rasgon, no?"

Belladonna lowered her head. "...Of course. To pick off our duel from last time. Ever...ever since that fight, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. For weeks, I kept wondering why I kept thinking about you. Now, I think I've finally found the answer. It's because that I find you an impressive opponent, like none before. Now then, shall we continue?"

"You'll find I'm much more powerful than I was last time. Last time we were at a deadlock, but this time I will emerge victorious." Alex replied, his sword and shield ready.

Belladonna stared at the shield for a second before readying her bastard sword. "Oh, I wouldn't get cocky if I were you, Terresian Descender. I too, have gotten much stronger. Now then, let's fight!"

Alex nodded, and charged at Belladonna, and she did the same to Alex. They met in the center and swung at each other. As Alex swung down hard, he suddenly noticed he stopped, and was shocked to see Belladonna parrying his blow, both of their swords level with Alex's head.

Alex was shocked. _She...she parried my blow at that height! She did it with so much speed too!_

Alex jumped back, and used Demonic Chaos, firing the three shockwaves at Belladonna. She simply ran around them, and charged at Alex from the right. Alex raised his shield and parried her thrust, and he then thrust his sword at her, but she simply swung her sword downwards and blocked the thrust. She then swung at Alex horizontally with a lot of force, but was surprised when Alex swung back with an equal amount of power, both blades knocked a bit backwards from the equal strength.

Belladonna too, was shocked. _He's...he's more powerful strengthwise than last time! Last time, he could barely parry my blows. Now, he has the same amount of strength as I do!_

Alex then ran to the right and used Spreading Chaos, firing several shockwaves around him. Belladonna dodged two shockwaves, and quickly used Pollen Cyclone, the small yellow tornado headed towards Alex. Alex quickly used Guardian, causing the yellow tornado to dissapate on contact, but barely had time to settle when he saw Belladonna charging at him, ready to use Yunanate Blast. Alex raised his shield in time to block the sword, and the explosion that resulted from the attack sent both of them flying backwards.

They both got back on their feet and resumed fighting. Alex ran forward and used Omega Falcon, spinning towards Belladonna. Belladonna, surprised, jumped back at the last second, but she was surprised again when Alex came diving down in the second part of the attack. Belladonna then rolled out of the way and managed to dodge the attack. Belladonna then ran up and used Nightshade Raid, but anticipating it, Alex jumped backwards and slashed at Belladonna, managing to hit her in the shoulder.

Belladonna grunted, then remembered the magic transfusion pack she had used on herself yesterday. She jumped back, and started casting a spell, raising her left hand in the air as a red magic circle surrounded her body, her bastard sword clutched firmly in her right hand. Alex ran forward and used a Raining Tiger Blade, but to his surprise, she didn't even flinch and was still casting. Alex jumped back and braced himself as Belladonna finished her casting, stretching her arm out forward in front of her.

"Explosion!" Belladonna exclaimed. Alex quickly used his Magic Guard as the fireball fell down and exploded on him, the Magic Guard absorbing most of the damage, but Alex could still feel the searing heat of the flames. When the spell ended, Alex groaned, and looked up.

_What...what just happened just now? When I attacked her, she should have stopped casting, but it's like she couldn't even feel the blows at all! That's almost impossible!_

Grunting, Alex ran again towards Belladonna, raising his sword. Belladonna then swung upwards to parry the downwards blow, and then kneed Alex in the stomach, knocking him backwards. Alex quickly recovered and used Rising Falcon, diving towards Belladonna, when she used a new skill, getting her sword ready as it glowed.

"Petal Dance!" Belladonna exclaimed. She took her sword, and when Alex was landing, spun it in a full circle, causing Alex to fall, used her sword to lauch Alex in the air, and then stretched her sword at Alex, hitting him in the back. Alex yelled out in pain, but responded by using Rising Falcon, crashing right into Belladonna, causing her to fall back a few feet. As she recovered, Alex ran up and used Demon Spiral Hammer, bringing her in the air and hitting her a few times, knocking her back to the ground. Belladonna grunted, and smiled.

"Heh...what an incredible fight. You've really pushed me far, Terresian Descender...no one else has brought me this far before. Before we continue, I should let you know a little secret: I've been holding back my full power." Belladonna remarked.

Alex looks shocked. "What?!"

"That's right. For the last two battles, I've been only fighting you with one hand. Now tell me...how will you deal with me when I wield my blade with _both _of my hands?" Belladonna asked.

Alex didn't have time to reply as Belladonna grasped her bastard sword with both hands, then started charging towards Alex faster that he ever remembered her. He barely had time to raise his shield as Belladonna swung at him with more power and speed then he had ever remembered. As he jumped back, Belladonna made chase and swung sideways at Alex, hitting him in the side. Alex yelled in pain, then quickly tried to strike, but Belladonna parried it swiftly, and wielded the weapon with force.

Alex then used a Demonic Chaos. Belladonna easily dodged it, and then used Pollen Cyclone. Alex tried using Guardian, but the tornado hit him, and he was blinded as he fell over. He quickly got up and managed to parry a downwards slash at him from Belladonna, using a Victory Light Spear technique to temporarily escape. As he was landing, he swung at Belladonna, who used her gauntlet to parry, though she did feel a little bit of pain this time from the slash as Alex landed, rushing towards her.

Alex then got an idea, and thrust his sword towards Belladonna. She easily parried it with her sword, but Alex smirked. He quickly used Demonic Thrust, the first shockwave knocking Belladonna off guard, and then he thrust his sword hard, injuring her in the left leg, Belladonna gasping with pain. When he fell back both were panting.

_Damn...Damn it! The Terresian Descender's attack just now injured me badly! I can't fight like this any longer...I've got to get away!_

Belladonna, limping, started heading towards the military base. Alex then gave pursuit, and it was clear that he would catch Belladonna easily, and Belladonna looked back and gasped. Suddenly, many soldiers suddenly started blocking Alex's way, and Alex started slicing them down, Belladonna in shock. One of the soldiers turned to her.

"General Belladonna, you're wounded! You need to get out of the city right away! Run for the military base and get to the secret passage! We'll hold him off while you do so!" The soldier exclaimed.

Belladonna shook her head. "No! I can't just leave all of you here to die! Stop blocking him or you'll die!" Belladonna exclaimed.

Another soldier turned to her. "General Belladonna, we respect you more than anyone else in the military. Your life is more valuable than ours! If you die, the military will begin losing hope! Now please, go!"

Belladonna looked at them, tears in her eyes. "I...I'm so sorry! Forgive me for sending you to your deaths!" With that, she started heading towards the military base, still limping.

Alex grunted as he slashed the soldiers. "Damn it, she's getting away! Jade! Don't let General Belladonna get away!"

Jade nodded, and started casting a spell. Suddenly, a soldier tackled him, and Jade merely impaled him through his face. Garr fired an arrow at Belladonna, but a soldier ran in front of it, getting hit in the neck. Reid began chase, but more soldiers began blocking his way too. Philia also tried casting, but soldiers then focused on her, forcing her to stop. Belladonna, meanwhile, was close to the door.

Yelling out, Alex used Rending Tiger Blade, clearing his path, as Belladonna went through the door. He started running after her, but a few more soldiers got in his way. He then killed them, then broke through the door, seeing Belladonna in the middle of the hallway in front of a carpet, holding a bag. She threw off the carpet, revealing a trapdoor. She threw off the trap door, then moved into the hole, slowly descending downwards. Alex ran after her, and when he reached the trapdoor, he saw she was going down on an ancient elevator.

Alex then noticed that as she was near the bottom that there was a pole that supported the elevator. Jumping down, Alex grabbed the pole and started sliding down, noticing they were in an underground cave, a few mine tracks leading deep into the tunnel. Belladonna reached the bottom of the tunnel, and quickly limped towards a mine cart on the tracks, the only one left, big enough to fit five people. Alex reached them bottom a few seconds later and ran after Belladonna as she got into the cart, and closed the door on the side of it.

Belladonna then hit a switch, and the cart started moving. Alex got next to the cart and attempted to strike it, but the cart gained too much speed, and left Alex in the distance, the mine cart dissapearing in the distance, Alex cursing.

On the mine cart, Belladonna put down the bag, which was filled with food and waterskins. She took off her gauntlets, and partially opened her helmet, wiping her eyes as she started to cry profusely, the sound of her sobs drowned out by the cart. She was shaking heavily, and she didn't even feel the pain in her body as she continued to cry.

_So many...so many people...they gave up their lives for _me_ so easily. So many soldiers sacrificed their own lives so that I could continue living mine. Why? Why were they so insistent on dying! I, one life, could have easily replaced the many that were lost defending that one life! I should have died for all of them back there! Not them! Why?_

As Belladonna cried, she looked up, seeing no one else around her. No one else there in her time where she needed to be comforted the most.

_I'm...I'm so lonely...I'm all alone...and it'll be that way for about three days...I haven't felt this lonely since...Wait a minute! I just remembered something! Yes...but nothing I like. In this memory, I'm as lonely as I feel now, almost worse, with no one to comfort me...I hated myself then...I remember this clearly. All else I can remember are two people, but they did nothing to comfort me either. Rather, it was worse, as they made me do...something. I can't remember it. All I know is right now, I feel so miserable..._

Belladonna continued to cry heavily, the mine cart traveling towards her destination in complete silence, not a living creature around for miles...

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_Loret, four hours later..._

The battle had now ended, but the city was horrible. Over twenty thousands dead bodies filled the streets of what had once been one of the most bustling cities in Granvoise that had now been reduced to a graveyard. Cries of wounded soldiers filled the entire city, crying for their families, for help, and for death. Several active soldiers moved around the streets, searching for the wounded that lay out there, the sun now descending, the sunset upon the city, its orange light engulfing all of it in an instance.

Alex watched this scene with great emotional pain as he looked around and saw the sight around him. The Battle of Loret had been won, but at too great a cost. Alex could feel the mana of the city around him, and it had told them that about twenty two thousand had died today, ten thousand Pascans, and twelve thousand UFTW soldiers. Alex shed a tear as he saw this, turning towards the sun, wishing he had never decided to go to war, wishing he could be back in Terresia, living happily with his friends.

But he could never do that.

Because he was Terresia's Descender. It was his duty, no, his life, to protect Terresia at all costs. He was destined to protect Terresia, and continue to fight and fight until he had killed the opposing force, and then he would die...bound to his cursed fate of being born a Descender. He was Terresia's Descender, and he was doomed to die lonely.

And there was no escaping that.

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**Hello to everyone! How was the chapter? It had a much darker atmosphere than all of the other chapters, but hey, this is what real life is like in war, after all.**

**Anyway, there's something I would like you all to try for me (or at least those who can): make some RM2: TOL fanart for me! I'll even make a fanart contest eventually! Just simply draw something related to this story, and send it to my e-mail account (found in my profile). You can send multiple fanarts if you want, so feel free to do so! At the end of the story, I'll tell everyone my top Ten fanarts, and determine the Fanart Contest Winner! Like I said, you don't need to do this, but I would enjoy seeing some of your guys fanworks, besides, there's no drawback, right?**

**Anyway, thank you all and please read and review!**


	20. Chapter 19: Ruins, Bonds, and Silver

**What's up, everyone? I have come to this website as Final Poke Mario Fan in order to deliver this chapter! Without further ado, let's read!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 19: Ruins, Bonds, and Silver

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_Underground tunnel system underneath the Trabadian Desert, nighttime..._

In the dark abyss of the mines underneath the Trabadian Desert, there was only one sound that resounded through the entire place, only one thing making movement in the mines. A mine cart, a light shooting out from it, was traveling down a set of tracks in the mines, the sound of its movement coming from the tracks itself, the wheels on it moving at a medium speed, though it moved gently. However, it was what was on the mine cart that was the most interesting and important thing about the vehicle that night.

General Belladonna was lying down in the mine cart on her back, her helm off, though the darkness, once again, concealed her face. She was very tired, her eyes drooping. She had taken off her greaves, and there was a bandage wrapped around her left leg, which was covered in blood, though the bleeding had stopped. She had also taken off her pauldrons, and another bandage was wrapped around her right shoulder, though the bleeding wasn't that bad. Some remains of a dinner were shown, as some food crumbs lay below her. Suddenly, a blue light starting coming into view. Realizing what it was, Belladonna quickly put on her helm, shutting it fully. A second later, a blue light viewer with Darius' face on it came into view.

"G...General Belladonna! Are you alright?!" Darius exclaimed, shocked to see Belladonna's wounds.

Belladonna nodded. "I'll...I'll be fine. The...the bleeding has stopped, though I'm still feeling pain in my leg. It got wounded pretty badly, though. I...I don't think I'll be able to walk correctly until it recovers. However, my shoulder is fine, it's just a scratch. But...that's not important right now, at least about me. The...the thing I need to tell you about is the Battle of Loret."

Darius shook his head. "We already know the results of the battle. Honestly, it's a miracle you survived through all of that bloodshed. I saw with my own eyes, through one of my blue light viewers...it's awful. So many are dead...the city is in ruins...and the Trabadian Desert has finally been lost. We lost many good men out there today, but the UFTW lost more soldiers than we did."

Belladonna lowered her head, slamming her fist on the floor of the mine cart. "I...I...forgive me. If I hadn't...If I had be a little faster and quicker in my judgements...we wouldn't have lost the battle."

"This is not your fault, Belladonna. You did all you could. That battle was unpredictable, and no one would have expected that the Terresian Descender would take out fifty landmines in one attack. Besides, the UFTW had larger numbers, so don't feel like it's your fault. The important thing right now is that you're alive and safe for now." Darius replied.

"..." Belladonna didn't respond, still upset of the events of the day.

"...Well, Master Valvus will speak with you. He's connected to my blue light viewer, so you'll be able to see him in a second." Darius replied, somewhat awkwardly. A few seconds later, Darius' face dissapeared, and was replaced by the image of Valvus, who was standing in the laboratory basement of Lavard Castle. He too, looked a bit surprised at Belladonna's wounds, studying her from head to toe. In the backround, Belladonna could see several scientists standing near desks, writing something down on notepads. Finally, Valvus spoke.

"General Belladonna, how are you feeling?" Valvus asked.

Belladonna paused for a second. "Horrible. Master Valvus, I'm sorry for losing Loret. I...I'm ready to face the consequences."

"Like Darius said, there is no reason to worry. Whatever happens in the war, whether we win or lose, is not much of a problem. Remember that we never wanted this war nor were we expecting it in our original scenario. This war is merely...an irritance, if you will. As for consequences, there will be none. As long as your not dead or captured, you'll be alright." Valvus replied.

"...Master Valvus?" Belladonna asked.

"Hmm? What is it?" Valvus replied.

Belladonna looked at her wounds before speaking again. "I...I realize that I may have been acting a little, er...apprehensive and reluctant lately. I would like to apologize for that. I'll admit that I was conflicted at those times, but now, I'm fine. I'll support this plan until the end, until Assimilation has been achieved. You have my word."

Valvus was silent for a few seconds. "...I see. Well, I forgive you. As long as you're with us, then everything is good. Anyway, how long have you been down there for?"

"In the tunnel? About six or seven hours." Belladonna replied.

Valvus nodded. "I see. You should arrive at the edge of the Ures River in about three days. Do you have enough supplies to last you three days?"

"Yeah, the food and water I have can last me three days." Belladonna replied.

"Good. Get some rest, General Belladonna. You've fought for a long time, and you'll need all the rest you can get so that your wounds heal faster." Valvus replied, glancing over at the scientists for a second.

Belladonna nodded. "Alright, I will."

Valvus nodded, and the blue light viewer dissapeared, Darius having dispelled it, leaving Belladonna in the darkness again. She removed her helm and placed it on the floor of the mine cart, and leaned back in the mine cart, closing her eyes as she tried to rest...

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_Loret, same time..._

The city had now turned dark, the blood red sun now having swapped places with the pale moon. The stench of death had still filled the city, however, as over twenty thousand bodies still lay in the streets in the city that had hosted what was, so far, the bloodiest battle of the war. While the UFTW had won, they had suffered severe casualties, and from the seventeen thousand men who had attacked the city in the morning, only five thousand were still alive, and there were two thousand of them wounded.

Alex was still sitting on the roof of the military base, his grim eyes surveying the city. Yesterday, the city had been so happy and full of life, according to one scout's description. Now, it had become a graveyard, with no civilians in the city, all of them having been evacuated before the battle had began-something Alex had been glad about, as he felt the citizens of the city wouldn't have exactly been friendly with them after seeing the gruesome results of the battle, many houses in the city having their outsides smeared in blood.

A cold breeze blew by Alex, and he covered his face, trying to stay warm. Suddenly, he saw a familiar flash of white light, and Alex knew what that meant. He turned around and saw Prophet, his pale white outfit perfectly matching the moon's rays. He was floating a few feet of the ground this time, which didn't surprise Alex, as Prophet already told him he could levitate, besides, he had already seen someone leviatate once. Hovering next to Prophet was a cup of coffee, strangely, and Prophet approached Alex, eventually sitting down next to him.

"Prophet? What are you doing out here?" Alex asked, confused.

Prophet turned to Alex. "...We were wondering if we could have a little chat with you. We have been given a time extension to meet with you for tonight, so we could talk for about three minutes instead of our usual one or two minutes. Is that alright with you?"

"Huh? Oh, um...sure, I guess." Alex replied, a bit surprised about Prophet's behavior right now.

Prophet nodded, and used telekinesis to move the coffee cup towards Alex. "Alex, would you like some coffee? We took this from the kitchen in the base, and we can't drink anything since we're dead anyway."

"You...you went all that way to get the coffee for me? Thank you." Alex replied. Prophet levitated the cup towards Alex, and Alex grabbed it, taking a sip as the warm coffee went down his throat. He finally took it back, and faced Prophet, who was staring at Alex with an unusual look, one that made Alex wonder if he was really talking to Prophet right now.

"So Prophet, what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Alex asked.

Prophet faced the city again, scanning the horror that lay below him. "...First things first, there's a piece of information that we've recently obtained, and unfortunately, it's not good news."

"Huh? What is it?" Alex asked.

"We've been investigating the country of Lavard lately, and we found out that they've upgraded every fort there and in Granvoise. With these new defenses, you won't be able to break down the forts with the methods that you've been using so far." Prophet stated, his head lowered as he continued to look out into the distance.

Alex was caught off by surprise, a look of shock filling his face. "Did...did you say...stronger defenses?"

Prophet nodded. "Yes. Do you remember Castle Arcos? After seeing what a hard time you had breaking through it, they realized that if they upgraded their forts and towns to that level, you would have an extremely hard time trying to break through their defenses. And they're correct for thinking so. At this rate, you will be unable to break down the enemies' defenses with what you currently have."

"So...so you're saying that with their new defenses, we can't win the war?" Alex asked.

Prophet nodded. "That's right. However, think about it. If they're upgrading their defenses, you need to upgrade your offense. There are several weapons that you will need to fight against them. But don't worry about it now. Granvoise has not received those upgrades, so you'll be fine here. When you conquer Granvoise, I will tell you what you will need to fight against them."

Alex seemed a little relieved at that, and took another sip of his coffee. "Oh...Well, that's good to hear. But Prophet, I can tell that that's not all you came here to talk about, am I wrong?"

Prophet nodded. "We see you wish for us to get to the point. Very well then. This concerns the battle today...but more importantly, it concerns you. We can see the look in your eyes. We know you are haunted by all that has transpired today."

"...Heh. I'm pathetic, Prophet. Look at me. I'm the Descender of Terresia. I'm supposed to live and defend Terresia, and in essence right now, all of the other worlds inside Gilgulim. Yet today, I couldn't even save any of these people, let alone do anything about it." Alex stated.

"This is not your fault, Alex. You're just one person. There's nothing you could do against an army of twelve thousand that would stop either them or your army from dying." Prophet replied.

Alex shook his head. "But I'm a Descender! I should have done something! We're supposed to prevent things like this!"

"Alex, you're getting in over your head. Let us remind you of something. Descenders are not all powerful, nor are they invincible. They have their limitations and weaknesses, ones that they can't overcome. What you wished to do would be the equivalent of trying to obtain god-like power. Of course, that is entirely impossible and should never even be considered. Unless you are an idiot, don't go around thinking that Descenders are humans with god-like powers. You'll die easily thinking that way, and we won't be able to do anything about that. Is that clear, Alex?" Prophet stated, his voice a bit harsher.

Alex, stunned by Prophet's sudden change in demeanor again, nodded. "Y...yes, Prophet. I understand."

Prophet scoffed. "Really? Well in that case, tell us this. What brought you to this way of thinking? You haven't acted this way ever before, so why start now? We would think that you of all people would understand your limitations."

Alex waited a minute before he responded. "I guess...I guess it's because of the meeting I had last week with the Guardian of Descenders. After the Guardian had explained to me the story of the Descenders, I heard about what they all did, everything they accomplished. I was amazed. All of those Descenders had enough power to create artifacts that could alter the fate of the world. Knowing that, I realized that I too was one of them, and I...I think I got a bit overconfident after hearing all of those things about the Descenders. The fact I got a power boost also added to that."

"However, now that you're telling me this, I realize that I was completely wrong. I put too much faith in my skills as a Descender and got a little cocky. I also felt a little...impatient during the battle from this. I know that I have done wrong, and I must rely on my skills as a warrior, not as a Descender. Prophet...it seems that I owe you my thanks once again. If it weren't for you just now, my cocky streak may have continued. You always seem to know my flaws perfectly...but that's good. Prophet, thanks." Alex stated.

Prophet then stood up, starting to flicker. "Hmph. Well, that's good for you. Don't try anything stupid, Alex, or you'll be dead. Remember that you need to survive until the end of the war. After all, you are one of the four Descenders that is needed to put an end to Valvus' plans, and without you, the whole thing would fall apart."

Alex nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Then we'll see you next time, Alex." Prophet replied. He then flickered away completely and dissapeared, and time flowed normally again, the wind picking up where it had left off. Alex stared at where Prophet had been standing, his mind warping with a question.

_What was with Prophet just now? One minute he's very nice and friendly, the next minute he was harsh and blunt. What could be the reason for that?_

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_Outside the Ruins of Hamarabi..._

A soldier stood outside the ruins, getting ready to leave the place. Remembering his final task, he reached into his sack and procured a black bell, which blended in with the night. Grabbing it, the soldier rang it once, the sound seeming to echo throughout all of Pasca. Suddenly, a green light started flying towards his direction from far away. A few seconds later, the light reached the temple and slammed into the ground, causing some dust to fly up. When the dust cleared, a figure now stood there.

One of the Silver Knights now stood in front of the soldiers, deep breathing coming from its helm. It gazed around to get its surroundings, and looked at the soldier. Noticing this, the soldier held up the bell, and the Silver Knight nodded in response. Gripping its forest green cape for a second, the Silver Knight looked at the temple, and walked towards it, its footsteps echoing on the stone it stepped on. When the Silver Knight had gone into the ruins, the soldier then walked away, headed towards the ocean from where he was...

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_The next morning, Loret..._

The sun drifted into the military base of Loret, shining through the windows. A beam of light shone above Alex's eyes, and he woke up, yawning heavily as he gathered his strength, a heavy feeling all around him. He sat up in his bed, and rubbed his eyes and blinked several times to get them working. Stretching out, he finally got out of bed, and walked over to his vaccuum-space sphere, pulling out the Radiant armor and replacing his current clothes with them. As he undressed, he looked at his back through a mirror, a bandage lying across it from the wound Belladonna gave him yesterday.

Putting his sword sheath on his left hip, Alex, now fully equipped, opened the door and walked out into the hallways. He suddenly noticed a note on the door when he shut it, and recognized it as a note from Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold, and was delivered by Prophet. Looking it over, Alex realized not much was different from the usual news they gave him, so he put the note in his vaccuum space sphere and continued to walk down the hallway.

As he headed down the stairs, he noticed several soldiers walking around, and when they saw him, they saluted, Alex returning the gesture. When he had gone down the stairs, he passed the hallway, headed for the conference room to discuss their future plans in the war and their investigation of the Ruins of Hamarabi. He walked over the hidden trapdoor with the secret passage inside it. He then reached the end of the hallway, and opened the door to the conference room. He saw everyone else seated, and Alex took his seat, Jade at the head of the table. He stood, and cleared his throat.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's begin the meeting. As we all know, as of yesterday, we have successfully conquered the Trabadian Desert. However, we have lost a great number of soldiers in the process. Because of this, we'll be having a much harder time fighting. But we have no choice but to do so. The Pascans caved in all of their mines, and did it very precisely too, so we have no access to the materials inside that could have helped. So we must leave the desert immediately. We're headed back for the main continent."

"We're pretty much ready to launch an assault on Granvoise Castle, the base of the Pascan soldiers stationed here. However, there's two things we have to do first. One, we have to conquer the city of Shiroc. Shiroc is a port city northwest of Fort Sudjulement and west of Baaz. We didn't attack it last time because our scouts reported that there were too many soldiers there. With most of them leaving now to the other continents, we have a chance to strike them down and control the city, essentially cutting of Granvoise's most important port. We will leave tommorow morning for Fort Sudjulement, a two day walk, and the day after, we attack Shiroc."

"The other thing we have to do is investigate the Ruins of Hamarabi. We have reports that show that recently, there has been some heavy Pascan activity in the area. We need to find out they are, or were, doing there. The Ruins is only about two hours from here, so we'll be sending a small six man squadron to go and investigate the Ruins. The squad will compose up of Alex Terresca, Reid Hershel, Chester Barklight, Tear Grants, Garr Kelvin, and Philia Philis. They will move out at ten hundred hours. That is all." Jade stated. Everyone then got up and started walking out of the room.

When Jade walked out of the room, Alex confronted him. "So, Jade, what should we look for in the Ruins?"

"Hmm...well, just give me a report on what you saw, and if you find anything interesting, bring it back to us." Jade replied.

Alex nodded. "Got it."

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_Four hours later..._

Alex, Reid, Chester, Tear, Garr, and Philia were walking through the desert. Since it was autumn, the desert wasn't as warm as it normally would be, so it benefitted all of them. There was small wind, but nothing too serious, and there was definitely no chance of a sandstorm. However, the desert was completely silent, something that chilled out Alex. Unlike the forests of the rest of Granvoise, which always had some sort of sound going on, like animals or water running, but in this case, the desert was almost as dead as Loret.

Suddenly, Alex saw the outline of a building in front of him, as well as everyone else. When they got closer, they got a good look at the building. It looked like an ancient temple, with brown stone columns supporting the roof. There were several stairs leading up, and a statue of an angel flanked the left side of the now open doorway, while a demon's statue was on the right. The structure was shaped like the Pantheon from Earth, only it was taller and wider, and it had more stairs than its Earth counterpart.

"This...this is the Ruins of Hamarabi?" Philia stated.

Reid sighed. "Well...what other ruins do you know lying out in the middle of the desert?"

Tear glanced at it suspiciously, eyes scanning the ruins. "It looks dangerous. We should be careful inside it. There's the chance of an enemy ambush waiting for us inside of there."

Garr nodded. "Yes, one can never be too careful. Be sure that your weapons are ready at all times, everyone."

Everyone nodded, and started walking up the stairs, a strange, old dusty stench coming from inside the ruins. As they climbed the stairs, Alex could have sworn he heard deep breathing from somewhere, but just assumed it was one of his comorades, and quickly reached the doorways with the angel and the demon flanking it. Checking around for any enemies, they were relieved to find that there were none in sight. They then walked into the doorway, unaware of the deep breathing sounding out again.

The six entered the ruins. As expected, it was a bit dark, so Chester reached into his vacuum-space sphere and procured a torch, then lit it. When light came to the room, they could see a big brown room filled with stones. The walls were covered in brown stone, and there were some holes filling the wall. Looking at the ground, the six were suprised to see pickaxes and other excavation tools lying on the floor. They had been thrown carelessly, showing they had been left behind in a hurry by whoever was using them.

"Huh...that's strange...why would they be excavating in a clearly visible ruin? I mean, if the ruin's there, then they should have taken everything from it a while ago." Alex commented.

Philia looked at the halls. "True, but...there may have been something else hidden from plain sight in the ruin?"

Chester looked forward in the room. "Well...there seems to be another passageway ahead of us. It doesn't look like there's anything else of importance in this room, so let's go ahead."

Everyone nodded, and kept on going forward, still unaware of the deep breathing nearby. As they approached another doorway, Alex opened it, revealing a long hallway. Like the last room, there was excavation equipment all around the room, and various holes around the entire room, though there appeared to nothing from any of them. They continued to walk on through the hallway, several open doorways among it, but an examination of each room proved to be no different from the other rooms. When they reached the end of the hall, they found a white marble door. They pushed it open, and their eyes widened at the next room.

The room was a very grand one, to say the least. It was already lit, with torches around the walls. Unlike the rest of the rooms, this room was made out of pure marble, still polished to a good degree, sparkling. There were statues all over the room of angels, demons, and dragons. There appeared to be pew like structures that lay on the ground, making it seem as though this place was a church of sorts. There was a flight of stairs leading up to a large altar, a red carpet leading up it. There were blast marks at some parts of the room, as the pickaxes were clearly not enough to break the marble.

There were some stone tablets with something in an unknown language written on them posted all around the temple, with some wooden tables with something written on paper on them. A chandelier lay above the room, dangling on a chain, the flames still burning. The stairs to the altar had a railing made out of gold, and the stairs themselves were made out of silver. There appeared to be something up at the altar, but whatever it was, the six were too low to actually see it. Looking at each other, they all nodded, and began walking up the stairs to the altar.

When they reached the top of the altar, they took a look around. There was a small, empty table in the middle of the room, obviously where a priest would stand in front of during a service. There was a statue of another angel on the left side of the altar, and a demon statue to the right side of the altar. Beside each of them lay stone tablets, which had writings that were in a different language than the ones below. What caught everyone's attention, however, was a giant hole in the wall. Through the hole, about twenty feet from it, was a secret chamber, but whatever was in there was too far to be seen.

"This hole and the secret chamber...I think that whatever the Pascans were looking for, they may have found it." Garr noted.

"Only one way to find out." Reid replied. As everyone began walking towards the hole, Alex glanced at the stone tablets closely. Suddenly, he let out a large gasp, and everyone else turned around, looking at him. His eyes were wide in shock, and his mouth had dropped. They all ran towards him, trying to find the source of his problem.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Philia asked.

Alex stared at the tablets with more shock. "The...the writings on these tablets...I can read them! I can read them and translate them with no problem whatsoever!"

Everyone gasped at this, Chester asking the first question. "Then...then what do they say?"

Alex nodded. "Ok...let me see. The tablet next to the demon statue reads:

_And so, the Cherub of Death spoke unto the man,_

_'Behold, I present to thou these three devices to be_

_used if mankind hath lost all sense of valor._

_First, I grant thou this helm of death,_

_a helm to mantain thou mind from the power,_

_to be locked away in our beloved shrine._

_Next, I shall bestow upon thou this armor,_

_for resisting the power that shall be thous,_

_sealed into the hellish slag on the ends of the world._

_Finally, I shall grant thou these gauntlets,_

_which thou requires for controlling the great, _

_terrible that shall be released from these_

_pieces three, this one held in the shrine_

_of where this power shall be used._

_These three shall be called the hellish end,_

_the white horseman, and the lord of hell._

_Remember, however, the power is_

_thous to be used, and only when_

_thou deem it necessary.'"_

Alex looked at the other tablet. "And this one reads:

_And after this, the Cherub of the Soul spoke to the man,_

_'Behold, I present to thou these three devices to be_

_used if mankind believes they shall continue existing._

_First, I grant thou this shield of light,_

_it hath been used to guard the Soul itself,_

_so it shall be kept in the most sacred of temples._

_Next, I shall bestow upom thou this sword,_

_which shall ward off this other power and counter it,_

_and it shall be left in the icy depths to test humanity's will._

_Finally, I shall grant thou this beautiful jewel,_

_containing the power to bring out the full potential of a man,_

_which shall be kept with the helm of death in our shrine.  
These three shall be called the guard of the sky plains,_

_the battle of the gods, and the goddess of rebirth._

_Remember, however, that this power will only_

_be used when the other power is in play, and only_

_if humanity truly desires to live on.'"_

Alex then turned around. "These...these are only rough translations, but I think I have the basic idea down. But...but why...why is it that I can read these symbols on these tablets? I know no other language apart from my own, so why?"

Tear, who had written everything Alex had said down on a pad, looked at Alex. "Maybe if you read it over, you could find out what they're talking about. That might help us figure out what the Pascans were doing here."

Alex shook his head. "There's no need to. I already know what these passages are talking about."

Philia looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yes. I haven't told anyone this yet, but I know what they mean. A week ago, back in Fort Sudjulement, I met Prophet again. He told me to return to the Pascan World Tree and go through the portal there and go to the center of it. I did so, and when I went to the center of the whole portal, I found a strange temple. I went inside it, and I was greeted by this red light. The red light was called the Guardian of Descenders, and it told me about the history of Descenders. One part I caught was important to now."

"It said that the first Descenders were created 6350 years ago, and that all of the worlds were once one giant world. Because there was always conflict in this world, the greater beings decided to divide the world, but before they did, the Descenders created six artifacts. Three were to be used if 'humanity was deemed to be too corrupt', while the other three were to be made to counter the other three artifacts so humanity would have a safeguard against those three artifacts. I believe this passage is talking about...wait...I got it! I think I know why I can read this language!" Alex explained.

"Huh? Why?" Reid asked.

Alex looked into the hole first. He walked through it for a second, and saw the other side of it. All that was there were two stone tables that were empty, though there was elegant cloth on it, so something had clearly been there before they were taken. Alex looked on the ground, and suddenly noticed an emerald shard, which was about the size of the blue crystal he wore around his neck. He picked up the emerald shard, place it in his vacuum-space sphere, then walked out of the hole and faced his friends as he spoke yet again.

"I knew it. This temple was mentioned on the tablets earlier. This temple apparently housed a 'helm' and a 'gem', according to the tablets. These tablets...they must have been written by the Descenders. Who else would have knowledge of where the artifacts were housed? The Pascans searched here because they somehow realized this place may have one of the artifacts, which Valvus is searching for. Because the Descenders wrote this...they probably had some sort of language. I believe that the knowledge of this language is implemented in every Descender's mind, which is why I can read it. This is all a theory, however." Alex commented.

"Hmm...well, judging from the tablets, your knowledge of the language, and evidence that there was excavation going on around here, I'd say your theory is probably correct." Garr stated.

Chester walked to the end of the altar. "Well, we have enough evidence and information to know what the Pascans were doing here. Should we head back?"

Tear nodded. "Yes, I agree. We got what we came here for, so we should leave now."

"Hold it. Can we just rest for several minutes? We've been walking for two hours, and my feet are killing me! Besides, it's almost lunchtime and I'm really hungry!" Reid complained.

Chester nodded. "Well, come to think of it...I guess your right. Alex, you're the general, what do you say?"

Alex paused a second. "Well, we're in no real rush to head back, right? I don't see why not. Very well, we'll rest for about fourty five minutes. Get a fire started, and I'll prepare us some lunch."

Reid looked surprised at that. "Whoa, you cook Alex? I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, I cook. I'm not half bad either." Alex replied, smirking.

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_Half an hour later..._

The six were seated around the fire, eating. Alex had brought food and a whole set where one could eat on (Alex said it was always best to be prepared for survival in the forest or any other place) in his vacuum-space sphere. They all were eating meat, rice pilaf, and vegetables, all prepared by Alex, who was eating his rice, while Reid focused heavily on his meat, while everyone else ate calmly. All six of them still couldn't hear the deep breathing that was just in their vicinity, walking silently.

Reid was smiling while eating. "Wow, Alex...this is actually pretty good! You're better than I thought you'd be at cooking!"

Alex smiled back. "Thanks...hey, wait a minute, what do you mean 'better than I thought'?"

"Well, we've never seen you cook before, so we didn't know what to expect. I believe that's what Reid meant." Philia commented.

"Yeah, seriously. Who knew you could cook this way!? How'd you become so good at cooking?!" Chester asked.

Alex's face suddenly fell, and he seemed internally pained, his smile falling incredibly fast, a frown now on it. "It...it was...Kanonno. She...she showed me some ways to cook better...and gave me some advice on it. She...she was pretty good herself at it, so...she just wanted to pass on some her knowledge of cooking to one of her friends. That's why..."

Everyone else's face fell too, remembering Kanonno, their now lost friend who had dissapeared among with Alex and Mormo after the Gilgulim incident. Alex had since returned to protect Terresia from the Pascans, and Mormo had been killed by Tribilin about three to four months ago, but there had been no sign of Kanonno, not even in her own world. Alex knew that if she was on Pasca, they definately would seen her by now, but with no sign of her...Alex felt it was safe to say he'd never see Kanonno ever again.

At that thought, Alex pulled the necklace out from behind his armor, gazing at it. He began to cry upon all the memories of Kanonno that passed through him, a tear falling upon the blue crystal. Everyone else was silent at this, respecting Alex, knowing that he had been closer to Kanonno than anyone else. Alex then covered his, mouth, refusing to let any of them hear his sobs as his body shook from these thoughts, the fire crackling even louder than it had before, as if joining Alex in his tears of sadness.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps were heard. Hearing this, Alex put the crystal back behind his armor, and stood up, his sword ready. Everyone else stood up, and Tear put out the fire, everyone readying their weapons. Suddenly, the sound of deep breathing was now heard by everyone, and they kept their hands on their weapons, about to strike. Suddenly, the green caped Silver Knight came into view. It held a sword in its right hand, and its green cape swayed with every step it took. Everyone fell silent, and stared at the Silver Knight in confusion.

"What...what is that?" Reid asked.

"Is that...is that thing even human?" Chester asked.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't look happy to see us. If it isn't human, it might be guarding this place." Tear commented.

Garr shook his his head. "No, it's definately human. See its armor and weapon? I can tell just by looking at it that the weapon and armor are Pascan made, as I've seen that material used in several of the towns and forts."

The Silver Knight took a deep breath again, unable to speak their language, and said something to itself in its own language. As Alex heard the Silver Knight breath and talk, he came to a surprising conclusion.

_I...I can tell...I can tell by its breathing that...this armor clad human...its a woman. This person's a woman, no mistaking that. Probably in her late 20s, judging by the way it breathes, about 27 years old...It's strange how much you can tell about someone just by hearing them breath or speak!_ Alex thought to himself.

The Silver Knight rose her sword, and charged at the party. Alex raised his sword, and swung at the Knight horizantally. She parried his slash with her sword, and jumped back as she brought her arm back and thrust at Alex with a lot of strength. Philia used Explosion at that moment, and the Silver Knight was forced to stop her thrust and run to avoid the explosion, which left a blast mark on the floor. Garr stood in the back, readied an arrow, and fired it at the Silver Knight, who raised her sword and slashed the arrow. She raised her hand, and suddenly, a barrier appeared around the room, trapping everyone except Reid and Chester, leaving them out of the fight.

Garr then shot another arrow as Alex charged at the Silver Knight. She jumped to the side to avoid Garr's arrow, and slashed against Alex's sword to parry his slash as she slashed again. He blocked the blow with his shield, and thrust his sword at her. She brought her sword down in time, and rolled out of the way to dodge Philia's Cyclone spell. She landed next to Philia, and slashed at her and managed to cut against her arm, causing her to yell out in pain. Garr then fired another arrow as Alex ran over, this time managing to hit the Silver Knight with a thrust, though her armor saved her against much of the blow.

Tear then quickly cast Healing Circle, and a light blue circle appeared around Philia, the light healing her up. Alex then swung at the Silver Knight once again as she parried his blow, and she slashed quickly, cutting against Alex's chest. Alex gritted his teeth from the pain, and quickly slashed again, the Silver Knight parrying his blow. She then suddenly was hit by an arrow shot by Garr, and she yelled out, though she extracted the arrow and slashed against Alex, though he brought up his shield in time. Alex then used Demonic Chaos, and the Silver Knight ran out of the way and swung at Alex, him just blocking her in time.

The Silver Knight then used a four hit combo move, Alex blocking the initial three swings, but was hit by the final blow, a thrust. He fell back, but was relieved to feel Tear cast First Aid on him. He stood up as the Silver Knight dodged another arrow, then ran at her and used Rising Falcon, jumping up and slashing at her. She easily blocked him, but he kicked her on the wya down, and the Silver Knight was hit by an Explosion spell by Philia, screaming as she was hit. She ran quickly past Alex, and used a strange technique as she circled Philia and Tear, razor sharp wind blades rising up and slashing the two.

The Silver Knight ran up to Garr, and he quickly put his bow back and drew his sword, slashing at the Silver Knight as she parried. He then used Severing Wind, jumping high into the air as some wind appeared from the ground, slashing against the Silver Knight. She landed on the ground and placed some distance between her and Garr as Alex slashed at her as she kicked him away, though Alex got up and used Omega Falcon, managing to nick the Silver Knight across the arm as she was hit.

Alex then ran up and slashed at her as she parried in response. Alex then jumped back and raised his shield to dodge an attack by the Silver Knight. She then ran up and jumped into the air, slicing upwards as she grabbed Alex with her, throwing him at Philia, him crashing right into her back as both of them hit the ground. Alex quickly got up and charged again, running up and using Demon Spiral Hammer. The Silver Knight simply rolled out of the way, and Alex stopped himself in mid-technique. He then charged at the Silver Knight, and swung at her again, an arrow by Garr passing by, but the Silver Knight ducked to avoid the arrow and swung to stop the slash.

Alex then jumped back and did an lunge slash, diving at the Silver Knight. She swung back with a lot of power, pushing Alex back. Suddenly, Philia and Tear attacked together, using Indignation and Judgement together. Gasping loudly, the Silver Knight ran around the field, barely avoiding both attacks, though she was hit by the final beam of Judgement. Alex then slashed her in the back, causing her to yell out in pain, and she thrust her sword at Alex's chest, causing him to spit up blood and for blood to start flowing from out of his mouth. Garr fired another arrow, and it hit the Silver Knight in the knee, causing her to cry out again as she removed the arrow.

Both Alex and the Silver Knight started panting, their fighting ability both weakened by the battle. Tear cast Healing Circle on Alex, but it only helped him regain a little bit of his strength, himself still in a lot of pain from the battle. The Silver Knight grunted, and then released the barrier, but then closed it again, only leaving enough room for herself and Alex to fight. They charged yet again, and their swords met over and over again and again, the other five being helpless to do anything but watch.

Suddenly, Alex felt a tension-like energy build to its climax inside of him. Realizing it was his Overlimit, Alex smirked, and released it, a ring surrounding him as his body overflowed with power. He then ran at the Silver Knight, and then readied his Mystic Arte.

"DARK BLADE!" Alex exclaimed. He swung his sword downwards with all his strength, striking the Silver Knight, and he repeated this again. He then did a Victory Light Spear syled spiral, knocking the Silver Knight up into the air, and as she crashed to the ground, he swung his blade downwards and smashed into her at full strength, herself letting out a scream. She then fell to the ground, nearly dead. Alex then ran in for the kill, but suddenly, the Silver Knight changed into a ball of green light, and dissapeared, the barrier dispelling. Alex fell to the ground, exhausted as all his friends ran to his aid...

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_Lavard Castle..._

Valvus and Siltran stood over a blue light viewer, watching all of this, Siltran with a panicked look on his face, clutching a black bell. Suddenly, a green light appeared in the room, and the Silver Knight fell to the ground, in a lot of pain. Siltran immediately ran to her side, holding her up. He then threw off her helm, something that intrigued the guards. Under the Silver Knight's helm was that of a young woman. She was about 27 years old, as Alex had suspected, and she had long orange hair and had brown eyes, her face bleeding.

Siltran quickly turned to a guard at the door. "Hey, get a medic up here right now!"

"Y...Yes, General Siltran!" The guard replied. He quickly ran out of the door and into the halls quickly.

Valvus turned to Siltran, walking over to him and looking at the Silver Knight. "Siltran...while I did not order this of you, I probably would have if there had been more time. I will not reprimand you for acting without permission because of the circumstances, but just be aware to think before you act next time."

"I understand, General Darius! But I can't let her die!" Siltran replied. He quickly reached into a bag on his left hip, and procured an Elixir. He poured it down her throat, and she gasped as she felt her strength return to her, her injuries hurting a lot less. She looked up at Siltran, and smiled, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"_Dred id benin?"_ Siltran asked her in some unknown language.

The Silver Knight nodded. "_Une, an benin. Graz id...fratre._"

Siltran smiled in relief, his eyes filling up with tears of happiness. Seconds later, two medics appeared with a stretcher, and picked up the Silver Knight, racing her to the medical ward, Siltran following them...

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_Four hours later..._

"...So that's what you saw, and that's what happened." Jade stated. The six had returned to Loret, and were now in Alex's room, Alex lying on the bed injured.

"Yes. We confirmed that the Pascans had indeed found what they were looking for, and that the objects taken were most likely a helm and a gem. As we told you, there was a tablet in there written in a language that Alex could read, probably a Descender related language. Here's the translation of what was written on the tablets, Col...erm, General." Tear replied, handing Jade the pad.

Jade read it over. "I see. Well, if the Pascans really did get what they wanted, then there's no more use hanging out around here. We'll follow the plan and leave tommorow morning for Fort Sudjulemet."

"Is that really a smart thing to do? What with Alex injured and all?" Chester asked.

Alex shook his head. "Don't worry about me. You don't slow down the army for one man. I'm tired of that happening with me. Just put me in a cart and drag me along with you to the fort. I'll be fine."

Jade nodded. "Very good then. Your all dismissed. Alex, you get some rest. You'll want to heal quickly, what with the attack on Granvoise Castle very soon."

"I understand, General Curtiss." Alex replied.

"Then I'll see you tommorow." Jade replied. Everyone then walked out of the door, and then Jade shut it, leaving Alex alone in his room...

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**Alright, did you like it? Anyway, from this point on, I'll keep track of the number of fanart submissions I've recieved so far! The current count is:**

**Number of fanarts recieved: 0.**

**Don't worry about it yet, guys, as there's much better scenes later on to make fanarts out of. **

**Now that you're all reading this, here's the first Silver Knight's profile.**

**  
Silver Knight A: One of three mysterious people clad in silver armor who serve Valvus. Has some sort of connection to Siltran.**

**Sex: Female. Age: 27. Hair color: Orange. Eye color: Brown. Weapon: Longsword.**

**Voice actor: Wendee Lee. Seiyuu: Yuko Miyamura.**

**Name origin: Self-explanatory.**

**That's all. Please read and review!**


	21. Chapter 20: Resisting Port

**Hey, it's me, Final Poke Mario Fan! Prepare yourselves, all of you, for I have come here with the next chapter!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 20: Resisting Port

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_Unknown room..._

It was a dark, cold room. Only a single candle lit it, everywhere else dark. A man was sitting on some crates in what appeared to be some sort of underground storage room. Most of his features were unable to be seen except for his dark blue hair, everywhere else in the room dark. He had a bow and quiver strapped to his back, and he wore a belt full of daggers, at least twenty of them. He seemed to be looking through something, when he heard the door open. Reaching at his bow and arrow, he stopped when he realized who it was, and put it back. He saw the outline of a young woman in front of him.

"You're growing too tense, you know. You need to check who you see before you pick up that bow." The woman stated, walking a little bit farther into the room.

The man nodded, sighing. "I know, I know. But you never know when the enemy will find us, so you have to be on guard at all times. Anyway, how are we doing down here?"

The woman glanced at the floor. "...Not good. We're low on supplies, and time is running out. Our spies say that now that the soldiers are done with their war-related port issues, they've begun looking for us. It's only a matter of days before we find us. We've tried rationing food, but it won't last two days. Our supplier can't help us in these tight conditions either. He wanted to apologize, but he said that he can't be seen with us or he could be executed. Because of this, we're basically screwed unless a miracle happens."

"I don't believe in miracles. You have to work to achieve things, not pray and hope something good will happen out of nowhere like a deus ex machina. Right now, we need to hold out for as long as we can, and think of a plan. We'll need to hope that the soldiers are so distracted by the war that we may be able to escape from here. While this may be our hideout, right now it's nothing more than a man-made cell that we locked ourselves into. We've been wanted ever since we sunk that ship carrying those weapons, and haven't gotten a break since. Tell me though, how many of us are left?" The man replied.

"About 3200, sir. Not enough to combat the soldiers, but its enough to survive for a while." The woman replied. She walked a bit further into the light, revealing her dark brown hair.

The man grunted. "Damn. We really are screwed, I guess. All we really need right now are more men, and more supplies. If we can achieve both, then we may stand a chance against the soldiers above. But we can't really recruit anyone, and we can't travel on the ships without risking the chance of blowing our cover. We just need something that would help."

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the man reached for his daggers, but once again sighed at the sight of a familiar face. A young man with blonde hair had just entered the room, panting.

"Eves, what is it?" The man asked.

The blonde-haired man, named Eves, panted a bit more before speaking. "S...sir! I have an important report to share with you!"

"Go ahead. We're listening." The man replied, crossing his arms.

Eves nodded. "Yes, well...one of our spies from Rasgon has just returned. He said that the...the other forces...he got their name, the 'UFTW', that are fighting the soldiers are mobilizing! They'll be on there way to attack the city three days from now, and with a force of about 25,000!"

The man and the woman both gasped loudly, the man nearly falling off the crate as he spoke next. "E...Eves! Are you sure about this! Is that really what our spy said?"

"On my life, sir, those were his words." Eves replied.

The man seemed to be bursting with happiness on the inside. "Well, well. It seems we've finally gotten the chance we were looking for. Three days...I think we can last that long. Eves! Go inform everyone else that the other army, the 'UFTW', will be attacking in three days! Tell everyone to be ready to fight by then, and to ration the food! Make sure all the weapons are in good shape, and then wait out the next three days! Is that clear, Eves?"

"Yes, sir!" Eves replied. He then turned around, closed the door, and ran off into the halls outside to inform everyone else of what he had just been told. The woman then grabbed out a candle, pulled out a pack of matches, and lit the match, and then the candle. She placed it in a candle post next to her, illuminating the room. She then walked over to the crates, and sat down next to the man. In the light, the rest of their features were much more clear.

They both appeared to be in their early 30s, their faces clear. The man had grey eyes, and wore a black tunic with a red vest over it, and wore brown leather pants, his brown boots hanging over the side of the crate. The woman had green eyes, and she wore a black rain cloak over a purple leather shirt, wearing green pants. Two shortswords were concealed behind her cloak, their hilts barely visible. She also wore brown leather gloves. The man then let out a sigh, looking down at the ground, his face downcast as his fingers twitched a bit. The woman put her hand over the man's, and they held each other's hand, the twitching stopping for the man.

"What's wrong? Are you still stressed? Or are you worried about three days from now?" The woman asked the man, her voice filled with concern, as was her face as she stared at the man's face.

"...Both. I knew what I was getting myself into when I started all of this. I knew all of the risks. I knew there would be death. But I didn't expect us to be trapping ourselves down here as we're about to begin starving soon. I started all of this, and yet all I can do now is wait and hope for that other army to come and 'save' us. I'm not saying this out of arrogance, but I didn't expect that _we'd_ be the ones who'd have to be saved. And if we fail, then I will be responsible for the deaths of all our men. I'm not worried, I'm _scared_. That's a fact." The man answered, looking even more depressed.

The woman got closer to him, looking directly into his face. "Don't say that. You've been a good leader to all our men. We started this because we knew Valvus had to be stopped. We knew he couldn't go on and just simply take over all three kingdoms and rule over us as an emperor. All these people are here because they believe in us. They have risked their lives every day just doing this. And their doing it because they believe in a brighter future for Pasca too. If they die, it was doing something they belived in. And we must always accept help when it is granted. Don't worry, we'll be alright."

The man sighed once again, and then smiled. "You're right. I have been getting a bit too worked up lately. Ever since we were forced to hide out in here, we've been on the edge, always fearing that we'll be found every next second. But this is our cause, and we'll end it together. I think maybe it would be a good idea to join up with that UFTW army, but we need to see what the outcome of the battle in three days is. And once this is all over, once Valvus has been defeated and the kingdoms are back to normal, we can finally..."

"Of course." The woman replied, smiling. She took off her gloves, revealing a golden ring with a diamond on it on her right hand. "I could never forget what we've promised to do after all of this. All we need to do is fight and survive until Valvus is defeated, then we can finally be together. We can put everything behind us and start anew."

The man nodded in reply, and the two leaned in towards each other, kissing each other on the lips for a few seconds softly. They then broke off the kiss, and the man got off the crates.

"Well, we'd better get back to work. We need to ensure that we're totally prepared to battle in three days." The man stated.

The woman nodded, putting her gloves back on, putting her ring in a small box, then placing it carefully in her bag. "Right. There's much to do, after all."

They both nodded, and the two exited the storage room, shutting the door behind them...

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_Fort Sudjulement, two days later..._

It was about noon. The UFTW forces from Loret were approaching the fort, exhausted from the long two day journey, but were relieved to finally see the fort as they walked towards it. Alex was lying on the back of a cart, still injured from his battle with the Silver Knight in the Ruins of Hamarabi. He shifted a little bit, grunting as he felt the wound in his chest ache from the strain. Alex then grumpily decided to stay still, knowing he needed to hold back his injuries for tommorow, and in the next few days, when the assault on Granvoise Castle would commence.

Alex sighed, and closed his eyes, feeling the autumn wind against he face. He was still wearing his Radiant armor (Alex had requested, after some arguement with Jade, that he should be fully armored when he returned to Fort Sudjulement, just in case there was a Pascan force waiting to ambush them on the way back.), but he had taken off his helm, letting his light brown hair blow along with the wind. As a cloud came and covered the sun up, Alex opened his eyes again, only feeling the dragging of the cart against him now.

_Argh...why did I have to be injured right now, when the most important battle of the war will begin? Damn it...I need to heal up as quickly as possible...though even the healing spells couldn't seal the wound, not even Revitalize. If that's the case, then it may take a while for me to heal. But I really need to participate in these battles. Even if I'm in pain the entire battle, I will go out to fight tommorow. And if anyone think's they can stop me, they're wrong. Because I _must _fight at the battle for Granvoise Castle. We have to hurry there. _They're _still there..._

_Cless, Genis, Harold, Jay...you're all still trapped in the dungeons of the castle. And in two days, Tribilin is released from his month of confinement. When he's released, there's no telling what will happen when he's out there...he could even...kill them. I can't let that happen! Tribilin's already killed one of my friends, I won't let him kill any more of them! Not on my very life! Tribilin, if you do anything to harm them, I swear I'll give you a slow and very painful death!_

_They've all provided us with valuable information...information about the desert armor, the movements of the Pascans, as well as other activities that are going on with them. But I have to get to them before Tribilin does! I just need all of you to wait a few days, then I'll come and rescue you! Just be patient...a few days is all I need._

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_End of the Ures River, same time..._

A ship was anchored outside of the edge of the Ures River out on the ocean, unable to be seen from Fort Sudjulement. The masts were down, and the wind blew by calmly, the ship not moving one inch. On deck were a bunch of soldiers, a few sailors watching among them. A plank on the deck lead to shore, where a group of about six soldiers were gathered around a ruin of what was once a stone building, with a wooden trapdoor situated on the base of the ruin. The soldiers were glancing at the door expectantly.

"Colonel Retz, how's the progress looking?" One of the soldiers asked.

The leader of the soldiers, named Colonel Retz, glanced at a device in his hand, then looked up. "About three more minutes. It should arrive then. We'll go down then and prepare for the extraction."

The soldier nodded, and the six then kept standing there in silence, waiting for three minutes, the colonel staring at the decive he held every several seconds. When the three minutes had passed, a "thud" was heard, and a small tremor was felt below the trap door. One of the soldiers then crouched down, grabbed the handle of the trapdoor, and opened it, light seeping into what was below the trapdoor. The soldier glanced inside the trapdoor, and he gasped in shock at the sight below him, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong, soldier?" Colonel Retz asked.

"It's...it's General Belladonna, sir! She's in bad shape!" The soldier replied.

The colonel gasped. "What!? This is bad! Everyone, get her out of there immediately!"

All the soldiers nodded, and grabbed onto a rope that lead to the bottom of the trapdoor. They were in a dark tunnel, mine cart tracks leading farther back. A mine cart lay at the end of the track, having stopped. The rope was connected to an elevator at the bottom of the shaft, leading up. On the mine cart itself was Belladonna, who was in poor shape, unconscious. Her leg wound had reopened, blood flowing freely out of it, and blood also flowed from her shoulder wound, though it was not as a bad as her leg. The soldiers quickly got her and put her on the elevator anmong with themselves as they returned to the top.

When they reached the top of the trapdoor, all the the colonel could do was stare in shock as they pulled up Belladonna and her sword. "Dear Avoli...what did she go through? Soldiers! Get her on the ship and bring her to the medics immediately! We can't let her die!"

All of them nodded, and ran with Belladonna towards the ship, the crew getting ready to sail again as they all got on...

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_Fort Sudjulement..._

The soldiers how now reached the fort, walking inside. The Ad Libitum members in the fort rushed down towards the main hall to greet their friends. The gates opened, and the soldiers inside the fort cheered as the other soldiers entered the fort, led by Jade. They marched triumphantly through the main hall of the base, though all Alex could do was stare out of the corners of his eyes, noticing the other soldiers staring at Alex in curiosity, wondering what happened to him. Finally, they reached the main hall, and upon their arrival, they were greeted by Kratos.

"Welcome back, all of you. I trust this means that Loret has been conquered successfully?" Kratos stated.

Jade nodded. "Yes, General Aurion. We battled through the desert and then took over Loret four days ago. Unfortunately, we lost a great deal of men along the way...about 20,000 casualties overall."

Kratos' face turned grim, looking down for a second. "I see...Did you investigate the Ruins of Hamarabi?"

"Yes. Alex, Reid, Garr, Tear, Philia, and Chester accomplished that task for us. We'll talk about the results later. Not in front of all of these soldiers: this is an Ad Libitum problem, so we should meet in the strategy room later." Jade replied, whispering.

Kratos nodded. "Very well, we'll do that. Oh, right, that reminds me, we have good news for you."

"Good news?" Jade asked.

"Yes. You know how we've been unable to acquire horses in the last two months because we were having trouble negotiating with the Pascan citizens all over Granvoise? Well, we've finally reached an agreement- we had to pay them a lot of money, of course, but it was worth it. We finally have horses now, and the rest of the good news is that they're all battle trained." Kratos answered, smiling.

Jade looked surprised, but he too put on a grin. "I see...that is good news. This way, we'll be faster on sceduele than we have been before. Very well, we'll attack tommorow as planned, but before that, we need rest. May we rest here before commencing the attack tommorow?"

"Of course. I don't even know why you have to ask, but yes, we will all attack tommorow after a night of rest. Also, we've contacted several of the other forts and towns, and they'll be offering soldiers to attack as well. The total force will probably be around 25,000 soldiers. Our scouts have examined Shiroc, and have determined that while it is a port city, they still have strong land defenses. Therefore, we needed a large force in order to break through the defenses of the city." Kratos replied.

"Understood. I'll be off then. Meet me at the strategy room at three o'clock, along with the rest of the Ad Libitum members except for the ones I just mentioned, since they already know everything." Jade stated.

Kratos nodded, and then Jade walked off, the rest of the soldiers dispersing. The two soldiers who were pulling the cart Alex was on looked at him. "General Terresca, where do you want us to put you?"

"Bring me to the main hall, and call some medics to bring me on a stretcher up to my quarters. After that, go and get some rest. You've had it tougher than the rest of the unit, pulling me on this cart." Alex replied.

The other soldier shook his head. "Not at all. It's a great honor to help you out, General Terresca."

They then nodded at each other, and pulled the cart, bringing it into the middle of the main hall. They then placed it down, and ran off into the halls, searching for a medic. Alex then sighed, his armor feeling tight around him, realizing he shouldn't have worn it. Suddenly, he heard fast footsteps, and suddenly, Lloyd, Colette, and Stahn ran over to him, a shocked look on their faces.

"Alex! Are you alright?" Colette asked.

Alex looked up at all of them. "Well...I've been better... but I'll be fine."

"What happened to you?! Did you get wounded in battle?" Stahn followed up.

"Yeah...but the battle wasn't war related." Alex answered.

"'Not war related'? What's that supposed to mean, Alex?" Lloyd questioned.

Alex looked up to them. "I'd like to tell you now, but there's a stretcher on its way for right now, and it's somewhat of a long story. Tell you what, did you here Kratos and Jade just talk about a meeting at three?"

"I heard about it. It's about the Ruins of Hamarabi exploration, right? You, Garr, Philia, Tear, Chester, and Reid explored the ruins, and that it's an Ad Libitum related problem, right?" Colette replied.

"How did...how did you know about that?" Alex asked Colette, his face filled with shock. Lloyd and Stahn seemed surprised at this as well.

Colette frowned for a second. "Well...I don't know why, but I have really good hearing. I can even hear sounds sometimes from miles away. I can hear them so well that it hurts my ears sometimes."

"Hmm...that's a strange ability. I've never heard of anyone who could do that before." Alex replied, a frown on his face. _Hmm...she'd make a pretty good spy...problem is that she's so...uncoordinated, I'd say._

"Anyway, what did you see in the Ruins of Hamarabi? Did you find anything?" Lloyd asked.

"You'll find out at the meeting, won't you? Not to be rude or anything, but I don't feel like talking about it right now." Alex replied. He really was telling the truth; after all, he was still wounded.

"Oh...sorry." Lloyd replied, looking a little dissapointed.

Alex shook his head. "No, no, it's not your fault. I'm just tired, that's all."

Just then, several medics passed by, holding a stretcher. They walked up to Alex, and Lloyd and Stahn tried to carry him up, to no success. Colette then tried, and Alex was shocked to find she was lifting him with one hand. He wasn't the only one, as Lloyd, Stahn, and the medics all had shocked looks on their faces, and even Colette herself was surprised. She put him on the stretcher, and the medics walked away, Alex turning his head to look at his friends as he was taken to the staircase...

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_That evening, Alex's chambers..._

Alex lay on his bed, the room lit by a single candle. Everyone else had gone to sleep for the night, the preparations for tommorow's battle already set. The wind blew against Alex's window, making it creak slightly. Alex himself had taken off his armor, his chest wrapped in bandages, though there was very little blood on them. Sighing, Alex put the bed covers over himself, trying to get some sleep. He could hear some soldiers moving around the halls outside his room, heading off to the barracks.

_Well...this is it...it looks like I won't get any better by tommorow. I have no choice but to fight in this condition, while fighting off the pain at the same time. If only that woman in the armor hadn't attacked us when we were in the Ruins of Hamarabi, I wouldn't have been in this state. Damn it! Who was she anyway? She was clearly a Pascan soldier, but something seemed different about her...like she was dead or something like that. And how did she teleport out of there before I struck the death blow?_

_Either way, the consequences remain the same. I'm stuck here on this bed, crippled temporarily from the battle three days ago. Argh! Why did things have to turn out like this! It seems as though Fate is frowning at me or testing me. It refuses to let me go in this war, as I've suffered a lot of injuries already in the war. But nothing as bad as this, not even the time I foolishly used my destruction power, where I was only unconscious. If only there was something I could..._

Suddenly, a familiar white flash occured in front of Alex, making him blink. When he opened his eyes, he saw Prophet in front of him, levitating off the ground about two feet, his arms crossed and his back hunched. He glared at Alex at one second, and scoffed to himself, a small smirk behind the mask that he wore on. Hearing his scoff, Alex deemed that Prophet's personality today was more harsh than kind.

"Hmph. You've looked better." Prophet stated.

Alex sighed. "What is it, Prophet? If you're just going to mock me in this state, then leave. But you won't, will you? Because you always appear to me to tell me something important. So what is it this time? I haven't even seen you the past three days. You never gave those notes from the past two days from Jay, Cless, Harold, and Genis."

Prophet stopped levitating, standing on the ground. "Sorry about that. We had...something else to take care of. But anyway, we came to check on you. We know that you were badly injured a few days back by that Silver Knight, and we came to check on you."

"Silver Knight? Is that what that woman was called?" Alex asked.

Prophet looked confused. "A woman? Really? Anyway, that's correct. That woman you fought in the Ruins of Hamarabi is called the Silver Knight. Actually, we should tell you that there is not one, but three Silver Knights."

"Three?!" Alex asked, shocked.

"Yes, that's right. Three. Unfortunately, that's basically all we know about the Silver Knights: that there's three of them, they all wield swords, and their special warriors for Pasca. But that's not what we came here to talk about. What we came here for involves your injuries. Before we do anything, we must ask you this: how do you feel about your injuries right now?" Prophet asked.

Alex sighed. "To be honest, I feel pretty bad about them. I was hit pretty hard in the chest, and if it weren't for Tear's quick work, I would've been dead right now. I can barely move without feeling any pain, and I can't even fight properly. However, that will not stop me from fighting tommorow! I don't care what you or anyone else says, I will fight tommorow, no matter how bad the pain is!"

Prophet sighed, and stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking. "It's strange how bravery and stupidity can be the same thing. But that doesn't matter. Normally, we'd condemn you and tell you not to fight. However, tommorow is a big fight, so...we believe we have a solution to your injuries right now. Unless, of course, you're uninterested..."

Alex gasped, and stared at Prophet. "A solution to my injuries?! What is it?! I'll do anything for it!"

"Alright, alright, we'll help out. But before the solution is used, we must ask you one favor. You must close your eyes right now, and no matter what, don't open them. Is that clear?" Prophet replied.

Alex was a bit confused, but shrugged it off. "Uh...sure, I guess."

Prophet nodded. "Ok, good. Now, close your eyes."

Alex nodded, and placed his head on the bed, closing his eyes, a feeling nervousness surrounding his body, along with a little bit of fear. He had a strong urge to open them, but he kept remembering what Prophet said and kept his eyes shut. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Alex felt mana surging through his body, gasping out in shock. He could tell that the mana was foreign, yet not Pascan, and that the mana seemed to be...mixed. Suddenly, he felt the mana go to his injuries, and he felt healing energy run through them as his wounds sealed up, the pain disappearing.

Finally, the mana disappeared, and Alex gasped, sitting up. He panted for a few seconds, and cautiously, he removed the bandages around his chest. He gasped in shock to find that the wounds were completely gone, and that there was no more pain in his body. He smiled heavily, but then frowned upon thinking of something, and looked up.

"Hey Prophet, what did you..." Alex started, but stopped in mid-sentence, as Prophet had disappeared, and there was no trace of him anywhere. Alex looked at the torches, and saw that the flames were moving again, time having started again. Alex just looked around in confusion, wondering what had just happened in that last minute...

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_The next morning..._

Alex woke up, hearing a bell ring out through the fortress that signaled everyone to get ready for battle. He got off his bed, went over to the vaccuum-space sphere, and procured his Radiant equipment. He then proceeded to equip them to himself, a process which took about three minutes. After he was ready, he opened the door and walked out of the hallway, headed towards the Main Hall. When he reached it, he saw thousands of soldiers, all walking towards the gate, where all of the horses lay.

As Alex walked down the stairs into the Main Hall towards the gate, Jade spotted him. Sighing, he walked over to Alex and grabbed him. Alex nearly jumped in surprise, but then turned around.

"Ah, good morning Jade. Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Jade sighed again, placing his fingers on the bridge of his nose to bring up his glasses. "Alex...you should know this better than I, but just in case you don't remember...you're injured. There's no way I'll let you fight in this battle with your injury."

Alex smirked internally, and decided to play dumb for a little while. "Huh? What injury?"

"Sigh...don't fool around. The one on your chest, of course. No one could fight with an injury that bad." Jade replied, sighing.

"I still think I'm well enough to fight. Don't get the wrong idea when I do this, but..." Alex then proceeded to lift up his armor plate, showing Jade the spot where he had been wounded. Jade looked surprised to find nothing there.

"Alex...what happened to your injury? Yesterday, you were too wounded to move on your own, but now, there's no wound there? How can this be?" Jade asked, surprised.

"To be honest, even I'm not sure." Alex replied, half-truthfully.

"Hmm...well, if you really don't have an injury, I guess it's okay for me to let you into battle. Go to the front gate and get on one of the horses. There's actually one that has been specially prepared for all of the generals, and you have one yourself. Apparently, its forehead has a white mark on it, so you should have no trouble finding it." Jade replied.

"Understood." Alex answered. He then walked towards the gates, headed for the stables. When he got there, he saw some of the generals headed for the left end of the stable, and Alex followed them. When he got to the end of the stable, he saw several horses, all of them more decorated than the ordinary horses. His eyes soon fell on a black horse in front of him. It's saddle resembled Alex's Radiant armor, and there was a strange white mark on its forehead. Realizing this was his horse, Alex approached it. They both stared at each other reluctantly, the horse a little tense, but when Alex touched it slowly, they both eased up, and the horse allowed Alex on its back.

Alex mounted the horse, and stared down at it. "Hmm...so you're my horse, huh? Let's see..."

As Alex tried to think of a name, he got back to thinking about last night, where he had been lying on the bed, wounded badly. It reminded him that he had been close to dying, and he thought about his inevitable death at the end of the war. No matter what he did, no matter what happened...he would outlive his purpose at the end of the war, and die. A grim smile came to his face as he thought of something, and he looked back to his horse, the same grim look now seen through his very eyes.

"Yes, I've decided. Your name shall be...Devatos. May you serve me well, and may I serve you well as your rider." Alex replied, thinking of the name he had just chosen.

Devatos. A combination of two words from ancient languages Alex had heard of. Roughly, it meant "servant of the dead". A fitting name for what the horse was bound to do for the rest of the war.

Remembering some instructions he had learned from other soldiers on how to ride a horse, he gave Devatos a small kick to the sides. Devatos responded, and Alex used the reins to manuver Devatos until he was at the front lines. He then pulled back on the reins, making Devatos stop. Finally, after about twenty minutes, Kratos reached the front lines. He then began to ride off on his horse, and everyone followed suit, ready to face one of the most important battles of the war as the horses ran across the bridge...

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_Four hours later..._

The UFTW forces continued to ride their horses at an average rate, having slowed down a bit to allow their horses a little bit of rest. However, they were ready to pick up the pace again, as they saw Shiroc on the horizon. They noticed there were several high defense towers, as well as a wall around the city. Looking to the right, Alex suddenly saw thousands of UFTW forces from other cities on horseback, apparently waiting for his unit. Nodding, Jade motioned them all to head towards the city, and all of the units starting charging towards it.

When they were about one mile from the city, archers from the city began to open fire. They all missed because they were too far away, so both forces waited a little longer. About one fourth of a mile from the city, both sides released their arrows and spells, killing many as they hit each other. Alex was surprised that Devatos seemed to respond to his body's movements for than the reins, but just took this as a good sign, and continued to dodge arrows as both sides fired at each other while the UFTW continued to charge...

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_Under the city..._

_  
_In the storage room, the man and woman were sitting down on the crates again. Suddenly, Eves burst the door down.

"Sir! The battle's begun!" Eves exclaimed.

The man and woman gasped, and the man jumped off the crates. "It has? Get everyone ready, we're about to go out and fight ourselves!"

"Understood, sir!" Eves replied, rushing out of the door...  
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_Back at the battle..._

Alex charged through the volley of arrows, raising his shield, which blocked the arrows like they were nothing. Several spells came crashing down on the gate of the city, weakening it. The Pascan archers continued to fire, decimating the ranks of the UFTW. Alex reached the gate, and rode Devatos around, dodging all of the arrows or blocking them. Seconds later, the gate broke down from the spells, and Alex and the other soldiers charged forward, headed towards the entrance of the city, where many soldiers charged at them.

The UFTW charged at them, and Alex thrust his sword downwards, impaling a soldier. He then retrieved his sword and quickly beheaded another soldier that thrust towards him. Alex then thrust his sword again, but the soldier dodged his attack, and thrust his lance at Alex. Suddenly, Reid rode on by, and threw his sword at the soldier, killing him. Alex grabbed Reid's sword and threw it back at him, Reid catching it in time to behead a guard. Alex then noticed Lloyd passing him, who used his two swords on his horse like a buzzsaw, cutting down nearly anyone who got in his way.

Alex looked around quickly at his surroundings. The city seemed to look ordinary so far, all of the buildings made of stone with a wooden roof. A stone pathway was on Devatos' feet, and Alex noticed an intersection in front of him. Alex then swung at another soldier, cutting him across the chest as blood splattered out of him. Alex saw another soldier who was trying to spear him, but Eugene rode by and impaled him through the head with his lance. Alex then used this opportunity to ride past some of the soldiers and head towards the intersection, cutting down many soldiers in the process.

At the intersection, Alex headed to the right, but suddenly saw archers up there. Suddenly, Chester and Nanaly arrived, and began picking off archers with their bows, barely running around to avoid the arrows. One of the arrows struck Alex in the arm, and he grimaced, pulling the arrow out of him. He then proceeded to head towards on of the defense towers, and he slashed at the base of the tower with all of his might, cutting off one of the support beams. He quickly rode faster as he just barely avoided being crushed by the falling tower.

He then rode by, and noticed he seemed to be on a market street, a variety of stands and shops around him. He slashed at another nearby soldier, who dodged, and threw his lance at Devatos. Alex caught it just in time, and threw it at the soldier, impaling him through the chest. Alex's soldiers followed him, and they continued to head down the road, killing all in sight. Alex then saw another intersection. To his left, he saw heavily-armored soldiers with lances, and to his right he saw ligher armored swordsman.

"All axemen and archers, head towards the left! Swordsmen and lancers, head to the right!" Alex ordered his soldiers.

They all cried out in reply, and they split up, Alex staying with the swordsmen, who quickly attacked the lighter armed warriors, who they cut down quickly, though several of Alex's men were killed in the battle. Alex then thrust his sword once again, and impaled a soldier through the heart, which flew out of his body. Alex then drew his sword out, and rapidly slashed two soldier's heads off. Alex then continued to head down the road, as he face thousands of soldiers around the city as the battle continued...

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_Six hours later..._

The fighting was still going on, and neither side seemed to be winning, both at a stalemate. Alex was now near the harbor district, the smell of fish around him as he dealed with the soldiers. He and Devatos were tired, but were still in good physical condition. Alex ran towards another soldier, who thrust their lance at him. It skimmed Alex's leg, and he grit his teeth, and stabbed the soldier through the chest. Many soldiers started charging at Alex, and he rode off away from the harbor district.

Suddenly, a soldier jumped right in front of Alex, his sword ready to thrust into Alex's chest. Alex gasped, and he realized he didn't have enough time to block the attack. All of the sudden, a dagger came out of nowhere and hit the soldier in the eye, causing him to scream. Alex quickly beheaded the soldier, and looked at the direction where the dagger had come from. On the roof of nearby building was the blue haired man from the storage room. He had his bow ready, and had a belt full of daggers around his waist. The two stared at each other.

"Hey, could you go below me and let me on your horse?!" The man asked.

Realizing that he could trust this man, Alex nodded, and quickly rode under the building. The man jumped down, and land on the saddle right behind Alex, who motioned for Devatos to keep moving, running past the pursuing soldiers.

"Who are you?" Alex asked the man.

"My name is Nomvar. I'll explain why I helped you later, but for now, just know I'm on your side. You're a part of that army called the 'UFTW', correct?" The man, named Nomvar, replied.

"...Yes, that's right." Alex answered.

Nomvar nodded. "Alright, good. I'll tell you right now that I have backup for your forces on the way right now."

"Huh? How do you have backup?" Alex asked.

"Like I said earlier, I'll tell you after the battle. But look, my backup's here now." Nomvar replied.

Alex looked ahead, and suddenly saw about three thousand soldiers on foot rush out from various building on the street. They all wore purple armor, and wielded a variety of weapons. Caught off guard, the Pascans turned at them as the foot soldiers ran forward and slaughtered them. The UFTW soldiers seemed surprised, but accepted the help as they proceeded to kill the Pascans from two different directions. The man grabbed his bow, and loaded two arrows into it, firing them off towards the soldiers pursuing Alex, killing two. Another soldier drew close, but Nomvar grabbed a dagger and threw it into the soldier's chest, grabbing it from his body as it fell.

Alex then charged back into the main area of combat, swing left and right as Nomvar pulled back on his bow, placing a dagger on it. He fired, and the dagger shot through two more soldiers. Alex then lowered his sword, and performed a Demonic Chaos on Devatos, hitting two soldier, but the third one dodged the attack, only to be hit by Nomvar's arrow. Alex then headed down the road on the way to the town square, as he and Nomvar continued to slaughter all that was in their path, the two making a good team.

On the road to town square, Alex thrust his sword at a soldier, who parried the blow, but Nomvar grabbed of his arrws quickly and shot it through the soldier's throat, cutting it off with his dagger. An archer fired at the two, and the arrow skimmed Nomvar's legs, causing him to cry out. He grabbed the arrow, and fired it at the same archer that shot him, killing him. Alex then beheaded another soldier as Devatos continued to carry the two down the road, Alex slashing against another soldier's chest, his sword now soaked in the blood of all the men he'd killed today.

Devatos finally made it to the town square, where most of the fighting had broken out. There were soldiers everywhere, and Alex could spot about three Ad Libitum members there, though he didn't have time to identify them. Alex then stabbed a soldier through the chest as he circled around the square, Nomvar stabbing and shooting anyone he could get in his sights. Alex thurst through a soldier's head as Nomvar shot another soldier, and the two continued this cycle, the battle reaching the end...

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_Two hours later..._

The battle had just ended. Alex was in the town square still, panting as he saw thousands of dead bodies all around him. He and Nomvar were now off Devatos, and all the other Ad Libitum members were in the town square, all of them alive and well. The "reinforcements" that Nomvar sent started pouring, and suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Nomvar!" A voice called out. The woman who had sat next to Nomvar at the base ran out from the reinforcements and ran up to Nomvar.

Nomvar gasped, and smiled. "Senza! Are you alright?"

The woman, named Senza, nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. What about you?"

"Me? Oh, just a minor injury in the legs, I'll be fine. Has the rest of the city been secured?" Nomvar replied, turning serious.

Senza became serious as well. "Yes, everything's good. The UFTW has secured the rest of the city, and the surviving enemy soldiers are now prisoners."

Alex walked forward, everyone else watching. "Nomvar...just who are you? You came out of the middle of nowhere during the battle, your 'reinforcements' also came out of nowhere, and you have a very organized force. You said you'd explain why you helped me after the battle. Well, the battle's over now, so could you tell all of us who you all are?"

Nomvar nodded. "Alright, I don't see any harm in it. My name is Nomvar Similob. This woman over here is my fiance, Senza Alueman. We're the founders of a nationalist rebellion force, the Green Blades. We're a resistance organization, made up of over 100,000 members, all spread out in different bases all over Pasca. Our goal is to over throw Emperor Valvus Goden and the empire, and to reform the empire back into the three kingdoms this world used to have up to a few years ago."

Alex seemed surprised. "A resistance movement? But...hasn't life actually improved for you since the...Descender Annihilation Incident? The civil wars stopped after that, right?"

"I see you know your stuff. Strange, considering you're foreigners. But you don't understand the full story. The kingdoms, after Pasca returned, all signed a peace treaty that stopped all the ongoing wars and promised to maintain peace. And after the Descender Annihilation Incident, I'm pretty sure they were serious about it. However, Valvus, he...he launched a coup d'etat on all three kingdoms at once, using discontent for the kingdoms after the wars to gather a massive army, and he still has the support of most of the people."

"Ever since then, Valvus has been focusing away from the people, and focusing on his own projects. Did you know that Valvus ordered the destruction of a village in Lavard simply because they refused to support him? After that incident, me and Nomvar decided we couldn't take this. We formed the Green Blades, and gathered many supporters. We've mainly performed actions such as disabling Valvus' war supplies and raiding military outposts, often burning them to the ground. However, with the war going on, it's a little hard to get into touch with each other." Senza explained.

"I...I had no idea. Sorry...So you helped us because the Pascan military is your enemy as well?" Alex replied.

Nomvar stepped forward. "Yes, that's correct. Anyway...there's a proposition I have for you. Which one of you is the highest ranked officer here?"

Kratos walked over to Nomvar. "I am General of the Army. My name is Kratos Aurion. What is your proposition?"

Nomvar paused, then went on his knees. "Please, I would like to ask your military's assistance. During this war, I've realized that we can't defeat Valvus alone. He has too many supporters and we're too low in numbers. You have the numbers and force we need to finally turn the tide. I offer my organization to your military, Kratos Aurion."

Kratos paused for a second. "Hmm...well, you all do have knowledge of the land, you launch stealth operations, and you have many supporters...Very well. I will offer the Green Blades assistance. Your organization will be like a subdivision to our military. Will that be alright with you?"

"Yes, of course. I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Nomvar replied. The rest of the Green Blades then cheered all around them, Kratos stepping away as Jade walked up to them.

"Very well then. I am Lieutenant General Jade Curtiss. I would like to ask you all to get some rest and make battle preparations. Tommorow, we march for Granvoise Castle." Jade stated.

"Understood. By the way, can I ask one question? What does 'UFTW' stand for?" Nomvar replied.

"...It stands for the '**U**nited **F**orces of **t**he **W**orlds." Jade replied.

Nomvar stared at him, puzzled. "'United Forces of the Worlds'? What's that mean?"

Jade sighed. "Hmm...It's a long story...Very well. Alex, you explain."

"What? Me? Oh, fine." Alex replied, sighing as he thought about where to begin, all of the Green Blades closing in to listen. Finally, he cleared his throat, and began.

"Alright...have any of you ever heard of a world called Gilgulim?"

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**So how was it? I tried to incorporate a new way of fighting to make this chapter more interesting.**

**This week's current fanart count: 0**

**Anyway, here's Nomvar's profile.**

**Nomvar Similob: A Pascan nationalist, leader of the resistance movement "The Green Blades".**

**Sex: Male Age: 31. Hair color: Blue. Eye color: Grey. Weapons: Bow and arrows and daggers.**

**Voice actor: Johnny Yong Bosch. Seiyuu: Nobutoshi Canna.**

**  
That's all. Please Read and Review, as I'm very dissapointed no one reviewed my last chapter!**


	22. Chapter 21: Granvoise: Outside the Walls

**Hey, all of you! Are you ready for this next chapter? If your answer is yes, then come and read it, as we verge into the two-part battle for Granvoise Castle!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 21: Granvoise-Outside the Walls

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_Granvoise Castle Dungeon, morning after Shiroc was taken..._

A guard stood outside of a certain cell in Prison Block X. He was so scared that he could piss himself at any moment. He heard nothing from in the cell...but of course, the room was soundproof, so nothing would be able to be heard. He nervously looked ahead at the cell, and looked down in his right hand, where he held a complicated looking silver key. He then slowly inched towards the door, his heart pounding with every step he took. He could feel malice coming from behind the cell door, and reached it. Reluctantly, he grabbed they key out, and placed it in the lock. Slowly, he opened the cell, hiding behind the door.

A few seconds later, the guard gulped as he heard footsteps coming from the cell, moving slowly. He could feel someone walk through the door, and the guard, against his wishes, couldn't help but look. Standing in front of him was none other than Tribilin Hemoses, a bloodthirsty, raged look on his face. Looking at his arms, the guard noticed that they were covered in deep, gaping wounds that looked like they were clawed on his skin, some of them old, some of them new. A malicious grin suddenly formed on his face, and he started laughing to himself. He took one look at the guard, hiding behind the door, and he then simply walked off, headed for some nearby stairs.

By now, the guard's whole body was shaking in fear, his breathing very shallow, though some of it went away when Tribilin went up the stairs. Against his better judgement, he decided to look into the cell, and immediately regretted this. The cell was covered with blood, from the floors to the walls. On one of the walls, there were several words written in blood, but the guard didn't even want to know what was written on them. He then glanced at the room one more time, and walked outside the cell and sat against the wall, horrified at what he had just seen...

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_Shiroc, the same time..._

Alex had already woken up, having just finished putting on his Radiant equipment. He then opened the window, looking out into the city. He was staying in the Shiroc military base, having completely driven the city from Pasca. However, the streets were not empty yet of the bodies that filled it up. Alex sighed once again as he looked at this, reminding him of the casualty of war, though he had consciously thought about it many times in the past, and would undoubtly think about it many times in the future.

Alex then thought about how he killed people. At first, back when he had truly realized how horrible it was to kill people, it brought him pain every time he swung his blade and took another's life. But as time had gone on, especially around Castle Arcos, Alex had found that he could somehow shut his emotions "off" when he was killing them, and only feel the grief of what he had done after it was all over. It may have sounded heartless, but Alex believed that was the only way he could get through the war and not think about killing people during the battle.

Alex then shook these thoughts out of his head. While killing was never good, at least this battle had lead to something good: the discovery of new allies. It turned out that this city had housed the Green Blades, a resistance movement that was dedicated to the overthrowing of Valvus, and then reestablishing the three kingdoms that used to make up Pasca. They had helped the UFTW invade Shiroc with their people fighting alongside them, and with their help, they had taken over Shiroc and, in turn, the last Pascan occupied city in Granvoise.

After the battle, the leaders of the Green Blades, Nomvar Similob and Senza Alueman had met with them, and explained about their organization. They offered to assist them because they had similar goals, and the UFTW agreed, making the Green Blades officially part of the UFTW army as a subdivision.

Alex then turned away from the window and headed for the door, walking out into the hallways. He noticed a clock on the wall, and noticed it was 7:06. He became a little surprised that Prophet hadn't shown up today. Come to think of it, he hadn't shown up yesterday either, not since he confronted Alex two nights ago. Prophet was supposed to be there with the notes from Jay, Genis, Cless, and Harold...

Upon that thought, Alex suddenly made a horrified gasp. His face grew pale, and his eyes widened.

_Oh no...Today's the day...the day Tribilin gets released! Damn it! I need to get to Granvoise Castle right away! However, I've never been there before, and there's no way we can get there today. We're supposed to march out today, but it will take about two days. The rest of the military is in position for the operation at Fort Binde, all we need to do now is get there and regroup. But still, there's not enough ti...wait..._

Alex gasped again, and hit himself in the head, cursing his stupidity. He quickly broke out into a run, racing towards the strategy room as fast as he could, quickly panting while he did so. He ran so fast that he nearly crashed into several soldiers if he hadn't reacted in time. Not having enough time to apologize, he reached the stairs and descended them quickly, headed for the main hall of the military base. He then quickly saw the door to the strategy room, and ran through it, panting as he finally crashed to a halt. All of the other generals, plus Nomvar and Senza, were there, and all looked in surprised.

"Ah, Alex. You're here. Good. We were going to send someone to wake you up, but it seems that that's not needed anymore. Anyway, now that he's here, we can begin the meeting. Anyway, as you all know, it's about a two day ride to Granvoise Castle..." Kratos began.

Alex held out his arm, having caught his breath a little. "W...wait...Kratos...stop right there. I have...an even...better idea...if it...works...we could get to the...castle today..."

Nomvar looked intrigued. "Really? What's your plan then?"

"I'm getting to...that. Kratos...the rest of the military force is waiting for us at Fort Binde, right?" Alex asked.

"Yes, that's right. What about it?" Alex asked.

A smirk appeared on Alex's face. "Have you forgotten? You say we can march there in two days. However, I have the ability to make portals to places I've already been too. I could just simply make a portal to Fort Binde, let everyone else through, and then enter myself. That way, we can make it to Fort Binde today and start our assault on Granvoise Castle today!"

Everyone else stood there in stunned silence, none of them having remembered Alex's portal creating ability. Kratos then spoke up. "Alex...I think that's a good idea...not only does it put us up a date from our plan, it'll also catch the Pascans by surprise, since they don't expect us to attack today. All of those in favor of moving up the date of the operation, raise your hands."

At the same time, all of the generals raised their hands, figuring that if they were going to take Granvoise Castle by surprise, the time was now, and Kratos nodded, looking at one of the guards in the room. "Very good. Soldier, could you go and inform everyone that the battle for Granvoise Castle has been moved up to today. Ring the bell so that's everyone's ready by the time we're done in here."

"Understood, General Aurion!" The guard replied. He saluted, and ran out of the room, ready to inform everyone else about the battle date.

Jade then turned back towards everyone. "While the day of the operation may have been changed to today, then plan hasn't been changed. Everyone, we have decided to employ a special kind of tactic today in order to breach the gates of the castle, based on something interesting we found when examining the area around the castle..."

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_Granvoise Castle..._

Tribilin now stood in a room in the Castle, a bottle full of his medication in front of him. He immediately swallowed three pills in one gulp, as he fell on the floor, his condition acting up again. The bottle sat up on a table, and read:

**USER NAME: TRIBILIN HEMOSES**

**PRESCRIPTION: GESTIGES TRENNUG FERMATA**

**QUANTITY: 90**

**USAGE: TAKE THREE EVERY MORNING**

**PRESCRIBER: DR. TRIBILIN HEMOSES**

Tribilin was now on the floor, clutching his head, images appearing in front of him and voices running through his head. He grit his teeth, and started yelling several things that were said too fast to be understood. Suddenly, the pills kicked in, and the images and voices halted in Tribilin's head, and he stopped yelling, panting heavily as he kneeled down, still holding his head. He then slowly got off the ground, and sat on a nearby bed. Suddenly, a blue light viewer appeared, and Tribilin's face broke out into anger as he looked at the viewer, Valvus' face appearing on it.

"Ah, Tribilin, I see you're already out of the cell. Good. Now..." Valvus began.

Tribilin only glared back at him. "Darius, I know you're hearing this as well. Kindly turn off your blue light viewer on me _now_. I'm not in the mood to look at this bastard right now."

"I see, Tribilin. If that's how it's going to be...would you like another month of confinement, with _no_ pills this time?" Valvus replied, rolling his eyes.

Horrified at the prospect of having no pills for a month, Tribilin shut up. "...Fine, fine, I'll listen to whatever the hell you want to say. So what is it? Come to mock me from the damn hell I suffered for the last month?!"

Valvus shook his head. "Wrong. We came here to inform you of something you've missed due to your confinement. Yesterday, Shiroc was captured by the UFTW. They've also taken the entire Trabadian Desert, and therefore, have control over the entire continent of Granvoise. There's no doubt that they'll probably attack the castle. They will probably attack in two days time. I'm counting on you to defend it."

Tribilin scoffed. "Oh? And why should I do this? I just got out of prison today, and now you already want me to do something else for you? Forget it. While you're out there in Lavard, sitting on your ass all day long, _we're_ out here, doing all your dirty work for you! Why don't you try doing something yourself for once, you bastard?"

Valvus remained unfazed. "Hmm...well, you have no choice but to do it for me. If you tried defecting the army and running away, you know that's not going to work. I could simply order everyone in the castle to kill you...not even you could hold off the 30,000 or so soldiers that are in that castle...and, just in case you've forgotten, there's no way you could get to any portals, as the only that's still in Pasca is at Vascallus, which leads to Mithos' world, and you'd never make it there. Plus, you can't go to the UFTW, as the Terresian Descender hates you with a passion and wants to kill you. So tell me, where will you run to?"

"Grr...Fine, have it your way! I'll defend this castle! There, happy now, Valvus?!" Tribilin angrily replied, gritting his teeth and put his hands into fists.

"Yes, that's good enough for me. Oh, and one more thing. Siltran and the Silver Knight are low on their medication. I need you to ready another prescription for each one of them." Valvus answered.

"As you wish, _Master _Valvus." Tribilin replied, saying the entire sentence in a very sarcastic tone.

Valvus nodded, ignoring the sarcasm evident in Tribilin's voice. "Very good. Alright, I shall leave you alone for now. There's a package waiting for you downstairs. Make sure to open it, and it's to be used if things get...out of hand in the upcoming battle. Be sure to work on defending the castle. Darius, cut the link from Tribilin now." And with that, the blue light viewer dissapeared, leaving Tribilin alone.

Tribilin's face was contorted with anger, but almost instantly, he started laughing insanely, a sadistic grin on his face. "Oh, just you wait, Valvus...just you wait. You'll get yours someday, and I'll be there to witness it. Then, as planned, I will replace you as the Assimilator, and then all that you've worked for these past two years will all be mine..."

Tribilin continued laughing insanely, his voice heard by none others as he laughed...

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_Shiroc, same time..._

Alex exited the military base, deciding to take a short walk around town before the operation began in another two hours. Walking over to the stables near the base, he walked over and found Devatos, who seemed happy to see him. Alex ran his hand through Devatos' mane, and got on him. Before Alex could ride off, Nomvar suddenly entered the stable.

"Ah, hello, Alex. I was hoping to find you here." Nomvar replied.

Alex turned to Nomvar. "Good morning, Nomvar. Is there something you need from me?"

Nomvar stood silent for a few minutes, seeming to be somewhat embarressed. "Well...you now how you told us about the story of Gilgulim and how you're a Descender? I was wondering...would you mind telling me the full story over breakfast? I know a good place to eat around here, so would you let me onto Devatos and take me there?"

"...Alright, sure, why not? All of my other friends I either told the story to or they saw it with their own eyes, so I think I can tell you." Alex replied. Nomvar nodded, and got onto Devatos. The stable doors were still open, so Alex gave Devatos a little kick, and he rode out of the stables and onto the city streets, most of the bodies gone by now...

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_An hour and a half later later..._

Alex and Nomvar were now sitting inside of a cafe near the harbor district of Shiroc, the smell of coffee around them. Alex was currently talking to Nomvar, taking a sip of his coffee, a plate with scraps of pancakes on it in front of him. Nomvar was also drinking coffee, watching Alex very closely, his eyes filled with amazement as Alex told his story.

"...and then we arrived at Shiroc. Well, that's all. Are you satisfied with what I told you?" Alex finished.

"Y...yeah. Wow...you really did all of that? I must say Alex, you've earned my respect. I mean, you really did all of that knowing what would happen in the end, and you still went through with it? Seriously, it takes real courage to go through with that. And to think you're doing it all over again only four months after you defeated Widdershin! I don't know how you put up with it." Nomvar replied, awed.

Alex, who had been blushing embarressingly at Nomvar's statements, suddenly frowned at the last part. "You know what, Nomvar? Sometimes I wonder that myself."

There was an awkward silence between the two, and realizing this was a painful topic for Alex, Nomvar changed the discussion. "But anyway, how do you plan to stop Valvus? You say he has a plan that could threaten the entire universe by using the power of three Descender artifacts, right? You have a plan to combat it, I assume?"

Alex lightened up from that, and looked over to Nomvar. "Ah, right, I forget to mention that to you. While I may not know Valvus' exact plan, Prophet told me that there were three other Descender artifacts, specifically designed to counter each one of them. According to the hieroglyphics in the Ruins of Jezid, these three artifacts are a shield, a sword, and a gem. See my shield right here? This is one of them, and when I got it, I grew more powerful. Unfortunately, I don't know where the sword and gem are."

"I see..." Nomvar replied, drinking his cup of coffee.

Alex paused for a minute. "Say, Nomvar, I have a question. Since you're the leader of the Green Blades, you must know some information about Valvus' head three generals, right?"

Nomvar nodded. "Four. Not three, four."

Alex looked surprised at that. "There's a fourth general? I didn't know about that. I've only met Darius, Tribilin, and Belladonna."

"Well, he was only recently promoted to general. His name is Siltran Deios." Nomvar replied.

"Siltran? Oh wait, I remember. There was a brief mention about that name in Valvus' file." Alex answered.

"Alright. Anyway, I'll give you a brief outline on who the generals are and what they're like. Ready?" Nomvar offered.

Alex nodded.

"Good. Alright, first you have Darius. He's 35 years old, and is a master of the spear. He joined up with Valvus all the way back in 1594, during the Great Pascan War. He's one of Valvus' most loyal officers, and he's a good tactitian. He is also one of the most respected men in all of Pasca, and is well loved by his soldiers, who he treats good, from what I've heard. His tactics usually revolve around force, as most of his soldiers are armed for castle sieges or long battles. At any rate, he's pretty powerful.

Next you have Tribilin. He's 29 years old, and is an expert in hand-to-hand combat. He joined Valvus right before the Descender Annihilation Incident. He's what you'd call mentally insane, and is very unsteady, and is infamous around the military as a sadist. Many people fear him, as he is incredibly violent, and is pretty bloodthirsty. However, during an important battle, Tribilin is completely different. When the time arrives, he seems to become very dedictated in a battle and becomes an incredibly smart leader. Strangely enough, he's also a doctor, though I have no clue why he'd become one.

After that is Belladonna. She's about 17 years old from what we can tell. I'll tell you, she's a complete mystery. She joined up with Valvus after his takeover, but other than that, there's virtually nothing else about her past. All of her records from before that time are completely blank. She's also very respected among her soldiers, and is apparently very strong to wield that sword with one hand. For some reason, she's never taken off that helm in front of anyone before, according to intellegence. Maybe she has some sort of scar on her face. Anyway, that's all I know about her.

Last is Siltran. He's 31 years old, but we don't know what type of weapon he uses. He was found by Valvus when he was only 12 years old, apparently. No one knows anything before that, but there's no question he's Valvus' most loyal officer. He has dedicated himself to Valvus ever since he was taken in, and the two have a bond like father and son. Other than that, there's not much else to say about Siltran, as he has yet to do anything as a general yet." Nomvar explained.

Alex nodded. "I see. Thank you. But how do you know all of this? It seems to be...a little too much information for a resistance leader to know, wouldn't you say?"

"...You're right. But that is a story for another day. Right now, we need to head to the entrance of town with the rest of the army." Nomvar replied, seeming to be a little uncomfortable.

"Alright. I understand. Let's go then." Alex replied. _There are some secrets everyone wants to keep, I guess_.

Nomvar looked over at Alex. "Are you ready for the battle?"

Alex nodded. "I've been waiting for today for over a month. Today is the day I can save my friends. But...I'm a little worried about the fortifications on the castle. According to what we've seen, these fortifications are stronger than anything we've come across before. And we're not fully equipped to take out a castle like that."

Nomvar shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Let me just say this: we'll be well equipped enough shortly after the battle begins."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Alex asked.

"You'll see. Anyway, let's go" Nomvar answered.

The two nodded, and got out of their seats. Alex left some money behind on the table, and the two left the cafe, mounting Devatos and riding off towards the entrance...

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_Half an hour later..._

Alex was at the front of the army, almost everyone else behind him. Kratos stood at the lead, and had just finished telling everyone something.

"...And that's our plan for the battle. Are we all clear about it?" Kratos exclaimed.

"YES SIR!" Everyone replied.

"Good. Alex, if you would?" Kratos asked Alex, turning towards him.

"Right." Alex replied. He then rode a little bit forward, and then made Devatos stop. He then closed his eyes, and searched for the teleportation mana. When he found it, he pictured the gates of Fort Binde in his mind. He then stretched out his arm, and then the portal formed, appearing right in front of everyone. Most of the Green Blades gasped in awe, staring at the portal.

"Alright everyone. As long as I'm here, the portal won't dissapear. Just go ahead and ride through it." Alex explained.

Everyone nodded, and all of them began to ride their horses through the portal, Alex and Devatos waiting patiently. After about six minutes, everyone had gone through, so Alex then rode through, dissapearing into the portal...

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_Fort Binde..._

Alex and Devatos walked out of the portal, it dissapating behind them. As Alex rode forward, he could see the rest of the soldiers were outside the fort, waiting for something. Kratos was at the front talking to Jade, and Alex could hear the ringing of the bell from inside the fort. Alex then rode over to Jade, who glanced over at Alex.

"Ah, hello Alex. Nice to see that you've caught up." Jade told him.

Ignoring that comment, Alex turned over towards the fort, and back to Jade. "What's going on in the fort?"

"Kratos just got done talking to General Yaciel. They'll have the troops ready in a matter of minutes." Jade replied.

Alex nodded. "Good." _So, this is it, then. The start of the biggest battle of the war so far...the battle for Granvoise Castle...that's also where Tribilin is...Mormo, I pray that today is the day I can avenge your death..._

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_Granvoise Castle, Prison Block R..._

Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold were leaning against the walls of their cell, still exhausted. By now, they had been in the cell for a month already, and had gotten used to their cell routine: a guard would pass by four times a day, they would get three meals, and that was basically it. They all sighed as usual, the dungeon silent as always.

"Ugh...I don't know how much more of this I can take." Harold complained.

Jay rolled his eyes. "We've only been in here about month. Many people spend decades in prisons, so consider us lucky."

"But still...we've had no contact with the outside world in days." Cless added.

Genis looked out the door. "Yeah. That Prophet guy...we haven't seen him in four days. All we managed to give the other through him wasn't very valuable information anyway. I wish we could have heard something more decisive. I just hope everything thinks we're safe."

"Shh! I hear something!" Jay replied, everyone now silent.

The sound came from a nearby stairway. It was the sound of footsteps, which were going down very slowly and dramatically, as if that were its intent. They all stared longer, and they looked in horror at what they saw next.

Tribilin had just walked down the stairs, a sadistic grin on his face. He walked slowly towards their cell, and clenched his fists, getting them ready. He then stopped out in front of the cell, and turned to them all, grinning wider.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The survivors from Darlian that I captured. I must say, I wish we could have had our 'fun' earlier. But, now that all of the obstacles are out of the way, there's nothing stopping me now. Now let's see...what will your friends think when they arrive and find themselves facing the sight of your heads stuck on pikes in front of the castle. Well then...let's leave off where I was about to get to one month ago..." Tribilin announced. All four of them looked at him in absolute fear, shaking. Tribilin then walked forward...

Suddenly a guard ran down the stairs from above, saw Tribilin, and ran over to him. He quickly bowed. "G...General Tribilin! I bring you urgent news!"

Tribilin gave out a grunt of frustration. "What could be so important that it could bring me away from my 'work'?"

"M...my apologies, General Tribilin, but it's important! Our scouts...they've spotted a large UFTW force headed this way from Fort Binde! They'll be here in two hours, and they're on horseback!" The soldier replied. Everyone, even Tribilin, gasped at this.

"WHAT?! Is this really true!?" Tribilin exclaimed, turning to the guard.

"Y...yes General Tribilin, there's no mistake!" The guard replied.

Tribilin suddenly grew serious. "Very well then...if it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get! Have archers posted on all of the upper walls! Place our infantry outside the gate to confront them head on! Reinforce the gates, then place traps at the foot of the gate! Place the mage on the lower sections of the walls, and make sure they can still see the enemy! Moreover, ready the catapults! Let's go, soldier!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier replied. He then ran off.

Before he left, Tribilin turned to the four in the cell. "You four...consider yourselves lucky. It seems that your friends are here to fight. But don't worry...I'll let you see them one last time after I'm through with them, and you'll soon join them. Don't worry, your fate will be much worse than theirs...I'm very interested in seeing how much pain you can feel before you die." And with that, Tribilin ran off, heading up the stairs...

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_Two hours later..._

The UFTW was now near Granvoise Castle. As they rode forward into the area, they looked at the castle in front of them. It was a very regal looking castle, the exterior made out of some of the finest quality black stone avaliable, enough to resist an attack. There were several towers around the castle, and all of them had green roofs. The castle's roof could be seen in the center, surrounded by the walls. Everyone could vaguely see the outline of Pascan soldiers on the walls, waiting for them.

The castle itself, however, was very large, built to accomodate the kings of Granvoise. It was very tall, and had many windows that allowed viewing the outside world, though the windows were covered by curtains. Statues of warriors filled the walls of the castle, and they were all made from high quality stone. The gates were made of strong steel, a fact that everyone groaned about. Outside the castle lay several barracks, housing thousands of soldiers.

The surrounding landscape was pretty normal, with a small forest surrounding the left side of the castle. The castle was built on a plateau, so there was a ridge at the end of it which could hold several thousand people behind them. Several other hills with this feature were also nearby, forming a small valley down the path, while a road lead on up the ridge. The UFTW starting riding up the ridge, and when they did, they gazed at the castle, wating to attack.

"Alright, let the attack begin! Mage unit, stay in the back and try to destroy the gate using your spells! Archer unit A, stay with them and try to cover them! Archer unit B, join the main force and try to get the archers! Main assault force, try to break the gate down after separating into three flanks! Remember, once the gate is broken down and the ground units come out to fight us, initiate the plan! Alright, CHARGE!" Kratos ordered.

The UFTW cried out, and separated into five different groups, charging in different directions towards the castle. Seconds later, the Pascans opened fire, shooting their arrows towards the charging UFTW forces. Several of them were hit by the arrows and fell down along with their horses. Alex swiftly guided Devatos around to dodge the arrows, their minds as one.

The archers behind them began countering the arrows shot at them, firing back. They hit several soldiers as well, but not as many as the Pascans had killed. The two forces began shooting at each other back and forth, volleys of arrows and spells firing back and forth, killing whoever was hit. The UFTW had been firing at the gate as well, but so far nothing was happening. Suddenly, the catapults on the roof of the castle launched, and fired rocks into the UFTW army, killing more of them as they were hit.

Alex held up his shield to block several arrows, but one of them grazed his legs, nearly hitting Devatos. Alex just kept on riding up until he finally reached the gate, along with several others. He then motioned to the soldiers, and they all started to scatter once again, catching the Pascans by surprise. Alex then rode over to the barracks, and started to charge up his destructive power, conserving enough to keep his energy high. He then fired it at the gate, but to his surprise, the gate only suffered a minimal amount of damage.

On the roof of the castle, Tribilin smirked, watching this. "Too bad, Terresian Descender...it was a nice try, but you didn't expect this, did you? I guess I could thank Valvus a little bit for reinforcement...that is to say, the shield surrounding the door. That device that I used one month ago had a second ability when combined with the Ruins of Jezid...with the power of two of the three artifacts plus the energy from the ruins of Jezid, it's powerful enough to create a shield that vastly weakens the effect of a Descender's power by using another Descender's power, which we stored in the Ruins of Jezid after _that _incident. Sorry, Terresian Descender, but you seem to be a little short on power right now."

Still stunned that the destructive energy had no effect on the door, Alex grunted, and tried a new strategy. He ran towards the gate, dodging arrows, and charged towards it. Accidently, Devatos stumbled for a second, and Alex's vacuum-space sphere suddenly shook, and the green emerald Alex found in the Ruins of Jezid flew out. Alex then grabbed it, and by this time he was next to the gate. Suddenly, the gate started glowing along with the emerald Alex held and Alex's shield. Suddenly, a strange light appeared in front of the gate and seemed to shatter.

Tribilin was shocked. "What!? That's impossible! There's no way the shield could have broken! How did this happen?! Damn it!"

As he said this, spells continued crashing into the gate, weakening it. Suddenly, a strange sound was heard from the forest, and everyone turned towards it. Out of nowhere, a catapult appeared and fired a rock towards the Pascans, crushing some of them on the top. As everyone watched, a large group of purple armored soldiers with a blue stripe across their armor plates emerged, about five thousand coming out of the woods. They dragged along with them many catapults, poised for battle.

Alex watched this, amazed. "Are those...more of the Green Blades?"

_Wait...I remember! Nomvar said that "We'll be well equipped shortly after the battle begins". He must have managed to contact some more of the Green Blades to help them out! But how did he get a message to them so quickly?_

Alex had no more time to ponder this as he returned he focus to the battle, things looking up...

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_Three hours later..._

The two forces were at a stalemate. While the UFTW hadn't broken the gate yet, they were close to, and the catapults from the reinforcement Green Blades were doing some significant damage to the Pascans. At the same time, the Pascans were still taking out many UFTW soldiers, still pressing hard. At this point, a mage cast Eruption on the gate, and it finally gave way, collapsing in front of everyone. When this happened, Pascan soldiers on horseback suddenly started pouring out of the gate, thousands of them. The UFTW looked horrified at their numbers, outnumbering the UFTW. Turning to Jade who nodded, Alex turned around.

"RETREAT! RETREAT! BACK TO FORT BINDE!" Alex exclaimed.

All of the soldiers shouted in response, and turned their horses around, running away from the overwhelming number of soldiers, riding away from the scene of the battle, the sound of the horses hooves loud over the battlefield, running back towards the downhill area.

Tribilin smirked, and started laughing. "Those idiots...one minute they're attacking us relentlessly, the next they're fleeing like the cowards that they are. Cavalry! Pursue them! If we kill them, we can take out the UFTW's most influential members! Don't let any of them escape!"

The cavalry let out a battlecry, and started chasing the UFTW, their horses running at high speeds. By now, most of the UFTW were riding down the pathway that lead to the bottom of the hills, but the Pascans were fast and on their heels. Thousands of them charged towards down the pathway, their swords and lances ready. The UFTW then looked back and saw most of the Pascans had caught up with them, and nearly all of them were down the hills.

"NOW!" Alex shouted. The Pascans looked confused, but shrugged it off, and were about to strike the rear soldiers...

Then chaos broke out.

Almost out of nowhere, thousands of arrows struck the Pascans from behind, killing many of them. Before they could react, another volley came and killed even more of the cavalry. The cavalry was panicking and tried to escape, but were horrified when they realized they were in the small valley, and the only way out was to keep riding forward or ride back. Arrow from all around the hills then came and struck the cavalry, who had no idea what to do.

Alex then turned his horse around. "BACK TO THE CASTLE, EVERYONE!"

Everyone let out a triumphant battlecry, and turned their horses around, headed back to the scene of the battle as the rode through thousands of corpses. Alex looked under the hill, and smiled as he saw Nomvar make eye contact with them, and Nomvar yelled out, and suddenly, thousands of archers appeared out of nowhere from under hills, riding their horses and joining with the main army. Alex then smiled.

Their plan had worked.

Before the battle, the UFTW had come up with an elaborate plan, based on a strategy they had read about a famous general from Earth. They examined the surroundings of Granvoise Castle, and had noticed the hills and how the castle was on a plateau, so that meant that anyone who hid under the ridges would be unseen from the castle.

That's how they planned it. The UFTW had entered the battle with less troops than they had brought with them. When they arrived in the hill area, they hid a unit of 5000 archers underneath the hills' ridges, waiting. The UFTW knew that Granvoise Castle had a very large cavalry that would be nearly impossible to kill head on, so they created their plan. It was quite simple.

All they had to do was destroy the gate, and when the cavalry poured out, Alex would signal a false retreat to the army, and they would head into the hill area. Knowing Tribilin's personality, Alex knew he'd want them dead and send the whole cavalry to pursue them. Then, when the entire cavalry had poured into the valley, Alex would signal the hidden archers, who would fire their arrows at the cavalry, who would then be trapped and have no means of escape.

Tribilin grinned back at the castle, but then his triumphant smirk was replaced with a look of horror as the UFTW came right back charging towards them, Alex in the front. Alex drew his sword once more, and pointed it at Tribilin as he charged forward on Devatos. The catapults from the Green Blades then fired all at once, killing most of the remaining archers.

Alex then continued the charge, passing the destroyed gate as he headed into the main part of the castle, breaking the door down, seeing thousands of Pascan foot soldiers waiting for them. Alex then smirked, and let out a war cry as he charged forward once more, the rest of the army behind them...

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**To be continued in the next chapter- Granvoise- Bloody Tears.**

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**So how was it? I decided to make this a two-parter or it would have taken to long. BTW, the strategy the UFTW used was based on a strategy Napoleon did in one of his battles (at least I think it was Napoleon.)**

**  
Current fanarts: 0**

**BTW, last time, I forgot to mention Nomvar's name orgin, so here it is-**

**Nomvar Similob's name origin- An anagram of Simon Bolivar (with one additional "m"), a resistance leader who freed parts of South America.**

**Anyway, here's Senza's profile.**

**Senza Alueman: A Pascan nationalist and Nomvar's fiance, the co-founder of the "Green Blades" resistance movement.**

**Sex: Female. Age: 31. Hair color: Brown. Eye color: Green. Weapons: Twin shortswords.**

**Voice actor: Kari Wahlgren. Seiyu: Megumi Hayashibara.**

**Name origin: An anagram of Manuela Saenz, Simon Bolivar's lover.**

**Read and Review please!**


	23. Chapter 22: Granvoise: Bloody Tears

**Hello once again! Final Poke Mario Fan here, and I've brought you the second part of the Battle of Granvoise Castle!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 22: Granvoise: Bloody Tears

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_In the first part of the battle, the UFTW attacked Granvoise Castle head on, having to break the strong steel gate down. After getting some assistance from some Green Blades reinforcements, the UFTW finally broke down the gate after three hours. Immediately afterwards, the Pascans released their cavalry into the battle, and General Terresca ordered a retreat. However, this was merely a ruse to allow the cavalry to pursue them so they could fall into a trap set by the UFTW that killed the entire cavarly. The UFTW then returned to the castle, and broke the front door of the castle down. The battle continues here..._

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_Roof of Granvoise Castle..._

Tribilin was absolutely furious, raging as he gazed below him. Only minutes ago had they been winning the battle, their cavalry outnumbering the UFTW, the next minute, every last one of them had been killed, and the archers had pretty much been wiped out by the final Green Blades catapult. He grit his teeth, and clenched his hand into a fist, causing himself to bleed through the hand. Suddenly, a soldier came up to him, bowing.

"General Tribilin, what are your orders?" The soldier asked.

Tribilin managed to calm down for a minute. "Send all reinforcements to guard the main hall. Place barricades to the doors that lead to the stairwell, and make sure to get some more archers! Try to take out their horses as well so that we have an even battle! Have the lancers take the front lines! Is that clear?!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier replied. He saluted, and ran back down, leaving Tribilin alone.

"Hmph. So what if the UFTW managed to break down the front doors and defeat our entire cavalry? It doesn't matter. After all, I still have the ultimate bargaining chip. Plus, the Terresian Descender will most likely be blinded by his rage again, meaning I can defeat him just as easily as last time. And even if things get too complicated, I still have an escape route." Tribilin stated, glancing at something at the edge of the roof. He then shrugged, and looked at the blood throwing through his hand. He put it to his mouth, and drank the blood out of the wound, grinning. He then flexed his arms and looked out on the plains...

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_Granvoise Castle, interior..._

Alex and the rest of the army let out giant warcry as they burst through the doors to Granvoise Castle, standing in its main hall, thousands of soldiers opposing them. The main hall was bigger than any other they'd seen all around Pasca. However, all of the extravagent features that would have been present in the main hall were all gone, having been safely moved by the Pascans to a sealed storage room in order to ensure that they would not be affected in any way by the battle, preserving their culuture, in a way.

Alex charged down on his horse, and swung at a soldier, beheading him. He then parried another soldier's lance, and an allied soldier rode by and impaled the enemy soldier, only to be killed by another soldier. Alex then thrust his sword through another soldier, then quickly slashed at another soldier. The soldier dodged, but an archer hit the soldier with an arrow, killing him. He then grabbed the arrow from the guard's body and thrust it into a nearby soldier's throat, chopping off another one's head at the same time. He then swung in an arch-like motion, taking out another two soldiers.

In the back, Nomvar aimed his bow, and fired it at a soldier's heart, killing him. He rode on and threw a dagger into a soldier's chest. Suddenly, a bunch of enemy archers arrived from two sets of stairs at the end of the hallway, one on the left and the other on the right, and opened fire into the crowd, killing some of the UFTW soldiers. Nomvar then took aim, and shot one of the archers down, though an arrow nearly hit him. Other archers in the back of the room fired at the archers, but most of them dodged, ducking behind the railing of the stairs, which was made of iron.

Meanwhile, Senza and Lloyd had decided to fight side by side, and to put it short, they were kicking major ass. They both rode a small distance from each other, each one with their twin swords out, and swung in a circular motion, acting a human buzz saw, similar to Lloyd back at the battle of Shiroc. They killed about three soldiers at a time using this system, but there were so many soldiers that they barely did a dent in lowering their numbers anyway. While the Pascans were on foot, they were still doing well, killing may horses and their riders.

Arche was forced to go low, the archer assault too fast. Suddenly, Chester motioned to her with a nod, and she nodded back. She then flew up and began casting, and Chester used Dragon Slayer on the archers, the red balls of energy making it hard for the Pascans to concentrate. Arche then finished, and cast Ray into the crowd of soldiers, the beams of light killing several of them. However, the arrow fire became heavy once again, and Arche retreated to behind the other soldiers as she lowered altitude.

Stahn rode to the left side of the hall, casting Fireball on a soldier, then slicing across his chest. Rutee followed up with an Ice Tornado, capturing several soldiers in the vortex. However, the Pascan mages started to fight back, and used Cyclone, killing several of the horse soldiers. Leon rode by one of them and thrust his sword through one of the mage's face, chopping off his head with his dagger. Philia cast Cyclone in retaliation as well, swiping up more soliders. Garr rode by, shot a soldier through the neck with an arrow, then thrust his sword through a nearby soldier.

Eugene and Jade rode nearby each other as well, thrusting their spears into anyone who went near them. Eugene impaled a soldier on his spear and threw his body into the crowd of soldiers. Jade thrust his spear downwards at a soldier, but he missed, and that soldier swung his axe. It beheaded Jade's horse, and he fell off, landing next to the soldier. The soldier was about to chop Jade in half when Eugene rode by and thrust his spear through the soldier. He offered his hand, and Jade grabbed it, Eugene dragging him up, and Jade rode with Eugene, beginning to cast.

Veigue rode through the center, swinging his sword left and right. He wielded his ice-infused sword powerfully, taking out about two soldiers at a time with each swing, even if he missed his original target. He thrust his sword down at a soldier, who dodged, but Veigue kicked him then slashed him once again, cutting the man in half as he thrust one more time into his heart. He then noticed a lancer was about to thrust his lance right through him, but Veigue parried it in time, chopping off the lancer's head.

Colette was closer to the back lines, but was still attacking, her chakrams in her hands. She rode a bit forward, and threw her chakrams in both positions, knocking a few soldiers to the ground and killing them. Suddenly, a soldier slashed at her with his sword, cutting her across the leg. She cried out for a second, but Lloyd then rode by and chopped off the soldier's head. Colette gave a smile of gratitude to Lloyd, and then two rode close to each other as Raine healed Colette up using First Aid.

Reid also rode nearby the two, his sword in his hand. He thrust his sword through a soldier's neck, and sliced a guard's arm off, another soldier finishing him off. Suddenly, Reid grimaced as a Fireball hit him. He saw the mage who did it, and grabbed his shield and threw it at the mage. The mage gasped, and the shield beheaded the mage, his head flying down the stairs he was on. Reid quickly thrust his sword through a soldier's heart, and took his shield, swing at another soldier, though he dodged it.

Senel and Farah had decided to team up, both of them being hand-to-hand combat experts. They rode by several soldiers, and punched them hard in certain vitals in the chest and head, killing them. At the same time, all of the other Ad Libitum soldiers were all occupied with their own little thing, and the battle raged on, both sides at a stalemate...

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_Five hours later, Granvoise Castle Dungeon, Prison Block R..._

Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold were still locked in their cell, very tense. They had heard the sounds of battle inside the castle for the past five hours, and they hadn't stopped ever since then. The ceiling would shake every once in a while from the spells that were being cast, but there was no danger of collapse any time soon. The four simply sat there with bated breath, as the battle literally determined whether they would live or die. As the battle continued, Genis sighed, and his face fell as he looked at the floor.

"I wish we knew who was winning." Genis merely stated.

"Well, we'd better hope that it's the UFTW. If not, Tribilin will just come back and kill us all anyway." Cless replied.

Jay shifted over to the left. "I'll have to admit...it was a miracle that we weren't killed earlier. If the scouts hadn't spotted the UFTW by then, we would have been dead. But still, if we lose this battle, I have a feeling we won't be spared for a third time."

"Ugh, yeah. If there was a way we could help, I'd do it." Harold answered.

Genis shook his head. "But how? Our weapons are gone, and our magic has been sealed by this anti-magic field. What should we..."

Suddenly, a familiar flash of white light occured. Knowing what that meant, the four looked outside the cell, where Prophet stood. Unlike last time, he looked a little different, his clothes slightly tattered for some reason, a small crack in his mask. Through the mask's crack, Genis could see a light blue eye, but turned his attention to Prophet himself.

"Prophet! Where have you been? We haven't seen you in four days!" Harold exclaimed.

"We're very sorry. Something came up, and then we got a little...delayed by something. But that does not matter at this point. We could hear the sounds of battle coming from above. So it seems that the battle for Granvoise has finally begun. And if we're not mistaken, today is the day Tribilin was to be released. He didn't torture did he?" Prophet replied.

"Well, he didn't want to just torture us. He said that he wanted to put us through as much pain as possible first, and then kill us." Genis replied, and he noted that Prophet seemed incredibly pained and uncomfortable at that. "However, before he could take us away, a soldier arrived and told him that the UFTW was on its way here. Tribilin then left to prepare for the battle, but claimed that he would return to kill us later."

"...We see. We're glad that none of you are hurt. But we must get down to business right now. You say you wish to assist your allies in the battle above right now, correct?" Prophet asked.

Jay nodded. "Yes. If we could get out of here, we'd recover our equipment and go up to help them out. But, as you know, we don't have anything to break the lock, and Genis and Harold's magic is sealed."

Prophet took a quick look around before continuing. "Before we do anything else, we must ask you this: all of the guards have gone up for the battle, correct?"

"Huh? Well, yeah...that's obvious during a battle in your own castle. Why?" Genis asked.

Prophet nodded. "Well, we have a way to get you out now that we couldn't do earlier since there were guards we do it. Before we do it, there's some advice we have for you: you may want to charge out into battle right now, but there's a smarter idea that you could do. It would take longer, but it would help the UFTW immensely. You ready?"

All four nodded, and Genis noticed Prophet's eye change color, though he couldn't see what color it was. Half of Prophet's body glowed red, and suddenly, the anti-magic field appeared in front of him. Prophet then began casting, and at the end he cast what appeared to be a more powerful version of Dispel, about ten times more powerful. The anti-magic field then shattered like glass, dissapearing. Suddenly, Prophet finished casting, and his clothes seemed to become more tattered, the crack on his mask wider. He then faded away instantly, and time flowed back normally.

"What...what the hell was that about?" Harold asked.

Genis shrugged. "I don't know...hey! I can use my magic again!"

"Good! Cast something to get us out of here!" Cless exclaimed.

Genis nodded, and began casting, motioning for the others to step back. He cast Explosion, and the spell melted the bars right off, the cell door in ruins, the door having been knocked off.

Jay sighed. "That may have been overdoing it a little bit...but, oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. Let's get out of here."

All four of them nodded, and ran out of the cell, their legs a little wobbly. They ran down the circular hall and ran into a room labeled **PRISONER BELONGINGS STORAGE**. The four ran into the room, and found their equipment pretty quickly, as it stood out like a sore thumb. As they finished equipping themselves, they walked out of the room, seeing the stairs nearby. Suddenly, Genis noticed a massive panel to the left of him as he exited the room, and Jay noted another room that read**ARMORY R**. Harold noticed a map of the entire prison, seeing there were 25 other prison blocks, each one with their own armory.

"Hey, Harold, what do you think this panel is?" Genis asked.

Harold walked over to it, examining every aspect of it. "Hmm...well, what do you know! This is a magically infused prison cell control box!"

Genis merely stared at her blankly. "Huh? What's a magically infused prison cell control box do?"

"Ah, right. Well, in a cell as big as this, it would get tiresome to check every prison cell over to know who to release. But this panel is infused with magic, meaning that it's powered by some magical force- probably a lightning spell-which allows it to unlock or lock every cell in the prison. Also, next to the panel is a magical speaker, which can send your voice around the entire prison." Harold explained.

An imaginary lightbulb suddenly went off in Genis' head. "Wait...so it's connected to every cell in the prison...there's a speaker that transmits my voice around the entire prison block...and according to that map, there's a armory at every prison block?"

"Yeah...what about it?" Cless asked.

Genis smiled. "I have an idea on how we can affect the battle to a greater scale. Just watch."

With that, Genis looked at the panel in front of him. He pressed a button that said **Release All**. A second later, chaos broke out as all the cells opened and the prisoner quickly ran out, cheering their escape. Quickly, Genis pressed the speaker, and yelled into it.

"Attention all freed prisoners! Be quiet for a minute and listen to what I have to say!" Genis exclaimed, his voice echoing through the speaker. To his surprise, nearly all the prisoners quited down quickly, interested at him. Genis then cleared his throat.

"Thank you. Anyway, listen to me. My name is Genis Sage. I am a member of the UFTW, a military organization that is dedicated to defeating Emperor Valvus Goden. The reason for us doing this is because he attacked our own world, so we're just trying to protect our own world. Now, I know most of you probably aren't happy about us invading Pasca, but I can assure you we have no wish to hurt any of Pasca's civilians or take over your government. No, all we wish to do is defeat Valvus, then we'll leave. But listen to me once more."

As we all know, there is a large battle going on up in the castle between the UFTW and the soldiers of this castle. Now, the UFTW needs all of the help it can get, and we need you. And yes, you may think you're betraying your world, but hear this. All of us were locked down in this cell for some sort of 'crime'. We're all criminals here.

To be honest, I don't care what any of you did to bring yourselves here. And that's why you should help us. If you help us defeat the soldiers of this castle, you'll all be free to go, and no one will know your crime and you can go back home. But if the soldiers win, not only will all of you be sent back to your cells, but most of you will be killed for breaking out. So tell me: how many of you want to be free from this prison?!"

There was almost a unanimous cheer that signaled they agreed with Genis, everyone clapping and shouting out.

"Then if your answer is yes, do this for us: go to the nearest armory you can find down here. Get equipped, then when you're all ready, we'll head up. I'll page all of you in forty minutes. Now hurry!" Genis exclaimed.

The soldiers cheered once again, and they quickly rushed to the armory, running in to get equipped. Jay looked at Genis with an impressed look.

"Wow, Genis, you really got them going!" Harold exclaimed.

Genis gave a little embarressed blush. "Well, I just decided to give them what they wanted. Anyway, let's go over our vaccuum-space spheres one last time before we join the fight."

The rest nodded, and they looked over their vaccuum-space spheres as the prisoners armed themselves...

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_Forty minutes later..._

Genis looked around, and realized forty minutes had passed. He saw all of the prisoners on his block had finished arming themselves, so he pressed the speaker. "Alright, is everyone done? Give out a loud yell if you're done."

The sound of many yells rang out in the prison, and Genis smiled. "Alright then. Let's go, everyone! For freedom!"

The prisoners and Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold then all ran up the nearby stairs, headed for the stairs. While running, Jay poked Genis.

"Say, Genis, I found this cape in the armory earlier. It looks like it would fit you pretty well. Do you want it?" Jay asked, holding out a dark blue cape around Genis' size.

Genis paused for a second, then smiled. "Yeah...yeah, I think it would look good on me. Ok, let me have it."

Jay nodded, and passed Genis the cloak, which Genis tied around his shoulders. He then smiled, and took out his kendama, ready to fight. When Genis got up the stairs, he quickly walked back as he saw the Pascan guards hadn't spotted them yet. They were in a large hall, with a huge wooden door at the end with a barricade, the sound of soldiers trying to break it down on the other side evident. Genis then realized this was their chance for a suprise attack, and readied a spell. He cast Explosion again, and the giant fireball crashed into the door, breaking it down and killing several Pascans.

The Pascans gasped, and looked at the stairs, where Genis stood. Sighing, they ran towards him, but suddenly, all the prisoners burst out from the other blocks and entered the hallway, attacking the Pascan force, suprising them. Soon, all hell broke loose as the UFTW entered from the broken down door, only to look in surprise at the fighting.

"Hey, Kratos! There's already fighting going on in here!" Alex exclaimed.

Kratos rode forward, and looked at this scene in surprise. He shrugged it off, and ordered everyone to charge in and attack. Soon, a full battle was in place, the UFTW charging as they all smashed into the Pascan defense, the two sides working together...

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_Four hours later..._

Everyone was tired by now, but things were finally in the UFTW's favor. They were winning the battle, and the Pascans finally seemed to be low on soldiers. While they had battled together all of this time, Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold had made sure not be seen by the Ad Libitum members. As much as they wanted to see their friends again, they knew it would only distract them. There was now an opening in one of the stairs, and Alex noticed it, remembering Tribilin was still on the roof at that time.

Alex rode by Jade, who was riding with Eugene. "Jade! Take my horse for now! I'm going after Tribilin!"

Jade nodded. "I understand!" Jade then jumped off Eugene's horse and landed on Devatos. Alex rode close to the stairs, then slashed a few soldiers with his blade. He got off Devatos, and started running up the stairs, Jade holding off the enemy soldiers for him as he climbed. Alex climbed for a short time on the red carpeted stairs, and ran out into a door that lead to a long hallway. At the end of the hallway was another staircase that Alex ran up, which lead up to the roof. Alex then burst the door down, seeing Tribilin standing there, calmly.

"TRIBILIN!" Alex exclaimed, rage filling his body.

Tribilin slowly turned around, a smile on his face. "Well, look at what we have here! If it isn't the Terresian Descender! I've missed you _so _much, you know. We haven't seen each other face-to-face in such a long time! Not since that time I kicked your ass in battle and told you about how I killed Mormo! You know, I've missed that look of anger on your face. It always fills me with happiness to see you look at me with that face! I rarely get to see people look at me like that! So tell me, how do you feel today? Worried about those friends of yours in the dungeon?"

Alex nearly exploded, but suddenly, he remembered Prophet's words.

_"When you fight the one who killed him again...you must learn to control your anger. If you don't control your anger of him, you'll never be able to avenge Mormo."_

Alex then remembered these words, then took a deep breath, and smiled, his rage all bottled up. "Heh. Sorry Tribilin, but you won't be getting me that way this time around."

Tribilin looked dissapointed, but still kept that grin on his face. "Hmph...damn, you're no fun. And here I was, enjoying our little game. You know, if you're over the death of one of your friends already, I'm sure you won't mind losing four more, will you?"

Alex's eyes widened. "No...you wouldn't...why would you do it? Why did you destroy Darlian in the first place?! There was nothing but our soldiers and innocent civilians there!"

Tribilin's face changed, and his sarcastic face turned to one of disgust, and he snorted. "Hmph...innocent...such a useless word, wouldn't you say? You say that there were innocent civilians there...but tell me, who in all of the worlds can we truly call 'innocent'? We may apply it to young children, sure, but can you really call them innocent? Someone who is innocent has done nothing bad in all of his life, and is truly nice. But who would that apply to? That's right: no one. No matter how 'innocent' they may be called, everyone has done at least one bad thing in their life...and when they do that, their so called 'innocence' has been lost forever."

"..." Alex stayed silent, truly thinking about Tribilin's words.

"You and I...neither of us are innocent. We've both killed thousands of men in out lives, and that is the worst possible sin you can ever imagine. Sure, you can yell at me all you want for killing your friend...but what gives you the right to that when you've done the same? Whenever you kill someone, you're killing someone's friend or family member. Therefore, you have no right to yell at me about it when you've done the same! You may be the 'Terresian Descender' and is supposed to protect your world from its destruction...but deep down, you're just a cold blooded killer, just like me!" Tribilin exclaimed.

Alex gasped in shock, hearing every single one of Tribilin's words. He then held his head. "No...don't you...don't you compare me to you...we're...we're nothing alike..."

Tribilin smirked again. "Ha! Deny it all you want, but you know deep down that it's the truth. I killed those people at Darlian without any regrets because I knew not a single one of them was truly innocent. Everyone who is like that deserves to die. The whole world deserves to die. The amount of cruel people will always outnumber the amount of kind people...if anyone can truly be called 'kind', that is. Both of us are the same, as I told you...we both have killed many people as well as someone's friend or family member in the process."

Alex stopped gripping his head, and readied his sword. "No, Tribilin...that's where you're wrong. I only kill because it's war and I need to survive. I've always regretted every kill I've made, but I know it was neccessary for my world's survival. However, you...you kill merely for the fun of it. You kill because you're a sick bastard who enjoys making people suffer. But I'm not fighting for fun! You're wrong, Tribilin! We are not alike at all!"

Tribilin raised his fists, ready to fight. "So be it, Terresian Descender. This will be fun...I can't wait to see what I can do to you...all the pain I can put you through...heh heh heh..."

The two charged at each other, ready to fight. Tribilin puched forward, but Alex blocked it with his shield. Tribilin then performed a low kick, which Alex jumped over, but Tribilin immediately followed up with an uppercut. Alex then used Rising Falcon, diving over Tribilin's head and slashing at him, which Tribilin blocked with his gauntlets. Alex then used Demonic Chaos, but Tribilin merely ran out of the way of all the shockwaves, and then ran towards Alex and punched once again, which Alex blocked.

Tribilin then jumped in the air and proceeded to punch at Alex several times while kicking, which Alex blocked with his shield. Alex then pushed his shield forward, knocking off Tribilin's balance. Alex then thrust his sword at Tribilin, but he merely rolled out of the way and kicked Alex in the legs, knocking him down. Tribilin then moved to strike further, but Alex rolled on the ground and thrust his sword upwards, Tribilin barely dodging the attack. Alex then got up and charged at Tribilin, thrusting his sword at him. He nicked Tribilin's arm, but Tribilin took no notice of it, running backwards.

Alex then ran to the right, and then swung at Triblin as he charged towards him. Tribilin did a backflip to avoid it, and suddenly dove towards Alex with his legs stretched out. Alex dodged it, but was caught off guard when Tribilin landed and performed a somersault, kicking Alex in the face. Alex recoiled from the attack, and Tribilin punched forward again, only for Alex to block with his shield again. Alex then performed a Demonic Thrust, but Tribilin jumped over the shockwave and leaned back to avoid the thrust. He then kicked at Alex, who blocked it with his shield.

Alex then slashed again, and this time, he hit his mark, cutting Tribilin across the arm. Tribilin then grinned, and jumped back, the wound seeming to have no effect on him. Tribilin then ran forward, and kicked and punched at Alex at the same time. Alex jumped backwards, and performed an Omega Falcon on Tribilin, spinning towards Tribilin and diving at him. Tribilin ran around the attack and struck Alex in the back hard, causing Alex to gasp out and fall over. Tribilin ran up to attack, but Alex rose up and performed Demon Spiral Hammer, slashing Tribilin up in the air and slashing him a few more times, knocking Tribilin down.

Tribilin got up, and smirked. "Heh heh heh...not bad, Terresian Descender, not bad. You're better than I expected, I'll give you that. If that's the case...I guess I'd better stop holding back a little bit. Let's see...that shield of yours is very annoying. I guess it's time to get rid of it."

Tribilin then flexed his arms, and suddenly started running faster towards Alex. Alex rose his shield to defend, but Tribilin merely rolled around Alex, kicking him down. As Alex got up, Tribilin knocked him down again, and started kicking him over and over again, laughing sadistically. He then took off his right gauntlet, readied his fingers, and suddenly thrust both of them at Alex's left shoulder with all his strength, Alex screaming in pain, though suddenly the pain in his arm dissapeared. Tribilin dragged him up, and ran back, charging at Alex again. Alex tried to raise his shield, but suddenly gasped, his shield falling out of his hand.

"What the...what the hell?! I can't...I can't move my left arm!" Alex exclaimed frantically. Tribilin then struck him in the chest, knocking him over, laughing.

"Ha! You have fallen victim to my attack! You may not know this, Terresian Descender, but I am a doctor. One of the best in Lavard, apparently. I studied for several years about the human body and medicine, and therefore I have memorized every part of each body system, and I know the weak points of each one. For instance, just now, I disable the nerves transmitting to your left arm. For the next few minutes, you will be unable to move that arm. And this is just the beginning...let's see what else I can do to you..." Tribilin explained, smirking.

Alex grunted, and charged forward with his sword, his left arm limply hanging from his body. He swung at Tribilin, who just jumped out of the way. Tribilin then ran up to Alex and punched him hard in the stomach, causing Alex to gag and vomit, his stomach empty. Weakly, he stood his ground, and Tribilin attacked again. This time, Alex used Demonic Chaos right before Tribilin struck, catching him off guard as he was stunned by the shockwave, and Alex thrust his sword through Tribilin's arm. Tribilin gasped out, but he then grinned. He brought his arm to his mouth, and drank the blood from the wound, and suddenly, he began to move faster.

Alex was shocked. "What?!"

"Oh? Have you forgotten what Valvus told you the day we tried to invade Terresia? The four of us that were there all posses some sort of special power. My power is this. Whenever I'm bleeding, I can drink the blood from my wound. It doesn't heal the wound, but it rejuvanates me and allows me mentally to decide whether I want my speed or my strength to go up. I don't need strength to defeat you, so I've enhanced my speed. So tell me, Terresian Descender, how will you fight an opponent who will only get stronger the more you attack him? Heh heh heh heh heh!" Tribilin explained.

Alex then ran towards the left and used Spreading Chaos, trying to limit Tribilin's actions. Tribilin merely ran through the shockwaves and got close to Alex again. He hit Alex near the lungs, and Alex suddenly coughed up blood, splattering it over Tribilin's face. Tribilin grinned and elbowed Alex in the groin, causing him to gasp and fall down. Tribilin then stretched out his whole hand and kept banging Alex's head into the stone roof, laughing. Alex screamed, but he then thrust his sword, impaling Tribilin through the legs, hitting his feet. Tribilin grunted, and the smirk on his face was replace with anger.

Tribilin then threw Alex across the roof, slamming him into the ground. Alex gasped as he felt his back crack a little, though it wasn't broken. Alex managed to get up, and tried to reach for his vacuum-space sphere, but realized that without his left hand, he couldn't do it. Tribilin then ran up and smashed Alex in the ribs, Alex screaming as the pain ripped out all over his body. Tribilin then kicked Alex hard in the chest, but was shocked to see Alex stand up, bleeding heavily as he was. Alex then slashed at Tribilin, who nearly dodged, but Alex kicked him before he could, cutting Tribilin across his chest.

Tribilin then grew angrier, hitting Alex in the neck, nearly breaking it. Alex then slowly leaned against the wall, his fighting strength all gone. Tribilin grinned, and decided to run back a little bit to finish Alex off in a truly spectacular manner. He then got back about twenty feet, and started charging towards Alex, who's vision was fading.

_Is this...is this the end? No...I can't die here...not now! But...so much pain...no! I can't die until I stop Valvus and avenge...avenge Mormo...No. This truly is the end. I'm so sorry, Mormo...I failed to avenge you...Soon, I'll be able to apologize to you in person..._

Tribilin continued charging, his smirk wide as ever as he was bleeding heavily. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed out.

"EXPLOSION!"

Tribilin gasped as the fireball appeared from the sky and screamed as he was struck by it, a horrible bloodcurling scream, though strangely enough, most of the scream didn't sound like one of pain. Another voice then yelled out.

"CURE!"

Alex gasped as he saw green light surrounding him, most of his wounds healing up temporarily, his strength returning to him. He stood up, his left arm still limp, and looked around, and gasped at what he saw.

At the doorway to the roof, Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold were all standing there, their weapons ready. They all looked worried, but it turned to relief when they saw Alex was alive. A smile suddenly broke out on Alex's face, the first truly happy smile he'd felt in a while. Suddenly, they all gasped as Tribilin moved again, looking at all five of them. He was no longer angry.

He was very, _very_ pissed off, a look of anger Alex had never seen on someone before, his face looking like he would kill anything he saw.

"Explosion...I HATE THAT DAMN SPELL! DAMN YOU, YOU ANNOYING LITTLE BASTARD! I'M GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Tribilin screamed, pure rage in his voice. He charged at Genis, but Alex suddenly felt his left arm move again. He ran as fast he could, and picked up his shield and threw it. The shield then hit Tribilin in the back, and he turned towards Alex. He then ran and began to attack Alex like a berserker, no longer using strategic attacks.

Cless grabbed Alex's shield and threw it towards him, Alex catching it in time to block Tribilin's assault. The four then ran to assist Alex, and Genis cast Cyclone while Harold cast Ancient Nova. The two spells mixed, and they created a fire tornado, which missed Tribilin. Jay and Cless ran up, and began slashing at Tribilin, and Genis cast Tidal Wave, hitting Tribilin hard. Tribilin snapped out of his berserker state, but still looked at them fiercely.

Suddenly, a Pascan soldier ran up. "G...General Tribilin! The battle is lost! The throne room has been taken, and we've been nearly wiped out!"

Everyone gasped at this, and Jay quickly threw a knife, hitting the soldier in the heart, killing him. Everyone faced Tribilin.

"Give it up, Tribilin! It's over! Your army has lost and you have nowhere to run!" Alex exclaimed.

Tribilin broke out of his anger, and suddenly starting laughing. "HA HA HA HA! No, Terresian Descender, you're wrong! The battle has been lost for the military, but I still can run!"

Tribilin suddenly broke off into a run, headed towards the edge of the roof, and grinned at Alex. "Ah, Terresian Descender, one last thing: that was not my full power just now! If I wanted to, I could have killed you at the start of the battle! And if it weren't for your friends, you would be dead now! I swear that the next time we fight, I'll show no mercy!"

Alex began running. "Quick! After him!"

The five began chasing Tribilin, but he reached the edge of the roof, and grabbed some sort of backpack. He strapped it around himself, and jumped off the roof, the five reaching the roof and staring down. Suddenly, Tribilin pressed a button, and the backpack suddenly unfolded to reveal some sort of sail with an engine at the back, and Tribilin suddenly moved like he was flying, headed straight ahead.

"What the hell is THAT?" Alex exclaimed.

Tribilin turned back, smirking. "It's called a motorized paraglider! A little souvenir we picked up from a world called Earth! So long, Terresian Descender!"

Jay grunted, and turned to Genis. "Genis, can you hit him with a spell?"

Genis shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't! He's too far away!"

"Shit!" Alex exclaimed, Tribilin flying away into the distance, the sunset occuring as they watched. The five of them were silent for a minute, when Alex suddenly smiled and turned the four.

"Genis, Jay, Cless, Harold, you're alive! But...how did you escape? I thought you were locked in a guarded cell?" Alex asked.

Genis smiled, then spoke up. "We owe it to that Prophet guy. The guards left to fight in the battle, then Prophet appeared. He did something strange, and he broke the anti-magic field in the cell, allowing us to destroy the bars. Alex...you were worried about us, weren't you? I'm...I'm so sorry, Alex...if we hadn't been caught byt Tribilin..."

Alex shook his head, happy tears coming from his eyes. "Don't blame yourself. It's all that bastard Tribilin's fault. But...I'm so glad that you're not hurt...all that matters now is you're safe."

Cless then looked out towards the outside of the castle. "So...Granvoise has finally been won, huh?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but this is only the beginning of the war. We still need to conquer Scollance and Lavard. But we now have control of one of the three continents, so we now have a strong foothold in Pasca."

Suddenly, everyone heard the door open. They turned around, and they all grinned in delight, seeing that the Ad Libitum members were coming out. Everyone gasped in shock as they saw Jay, Genis, Cless, and Harold, shocked smiles on there faces.

"GENIS!"

Genis gasped, and saw Raine coming out of the crowd, running towards him, smiling and crying heavily. Genis started crying too, and ran towards Raine. The two met in the center, and hugged each other, both holding on like their lives depended on it.

"R...Raine..." Genis cried out, embracing his older sister.

"Ge...Genis...you...you're alive...and you're not hurt...thank god...don't...don't scare me...like that...ever again...promise?" Raine cried, unable to control her feelings. Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos looked surprised, having never seen Raine show that much emotion before.

"Yes Raine...I promise...that I'll never...leave you again..." Genis replied, hugging Raine even tighter. Cless ran off to meet his friends, though Harold and Jay were a little awkward since they didn't have as many friends, but everyone smiled as they enjoyed this little reunion.

Kratos walked over to Alex, and headed towards the edge of the roof with him. "Your wounds...I guess you really did fight Tribilin. Jade told me you left to face him, but what happened to him?"

Alex frowned. "He...he got away. Just before you came, he jumped off the roof, but suddenly a device in his backpack he called a 'motorized paraglider', which looked like it allowed him to fly, popped out of his backpack and he flew away. If Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold hadn't gotten here in time, he would have killed me...he's a monster. I'll explain my fight with him to everyone later."

"I see..." Kratos replied.

Suddenly, one of the escaped prisoners, in armor, walked up to Genis, who had broken off his embrace with his friends for a second, and bowed. "Genis Sage...thank you. You have given us our freedom, and we shall never forget you for that."

Everyone suddenly stared at Genis. "Freedom?" They all asked.

Genis looked embarrassed. "Heh heh...well, when we escaped our cell, we found that there were armories all over the dungeon, there was a panel that allowed me to open every cell door, and a speaker which let my voice be heard through the dungeon. I freed all the prisoners and told them that if they fought for us, they would be free from their cells. So they all got equipped and came to fight with you guys. Remember the reinforcements from four hours ago? Well...that was us. Are you surprised?"

Kratos looked at Genis, stunned, then looking at the escaped prisoner. "Did he...did he really do all of that?"

"Yes, he did." The prisoner replied.

Kratos then smiled, then turned to Genis. "Genis, you did a great thing. If it hadn't been for your quick thinking, the battle might have been too difficult for us, or we may have been defeated. Sergeant Genis Sage, I hearby promote your status to Lieutenant. Thank you for your hard work, Lieutenant."

Genis stared at Kratos, shocked. "Th...thank you, Kratos."

Suddenly pain ripped out through Alex's body. He screamed, and collapsed to the ground, everyone surrounding him, shocked as he bled profusely.

"Wh...what's going on?" Reid asked.

"His injuries...when we found Alex, battling Tribilin, he was near death, bleeding very badly." Harold replied.

Raine checked Alex out, and gasped. "Oh...he's in critical condition! Quick! Bring him to the medical ward! I'm sure one of the Pascan soldiers knows where it is! Quickly find it, and get him there! He might die if we're not quick enough! Hurry!"

Everyone nodded, and Eugene grabbed Alex, managing to carry him. Everyone then ran off, headed for the medical ward.

_And so, the UFTW managed to conquer Granvoise Castle along with the whole continent. But the pieces are now moving, and the war is about to enter its next stage, as horrible truths will be revealed..._

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**And that, everyone, concludes the Granvoise Arc (Chapters 7-22) Next chapter will be a little interlude, a break for the characters, then the Scollance Arc will begin (Chapters 24-49). Don't miss it, as the true excitement will occur in six more chapters!**

**How was it? I hope you enjoyed it! Normally, I'd write a longer author's note, but I don't have the strength to! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW, you guys are depriving me of reviews once again! I love hearing your opinions, it makes me know people like this story and gives me motivation to keep writing! So please leave a review!**


	24. Chapter 23: Celebration, Grim Tidings

**Hi! It's Final Poke Mario Fan once again! Now that we're done in Granvoise, it's time for a break chapter before the next arc begins! Here you are!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 23: Celebration, Grim Tidings

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_After over two months of fighting, the UFTW have finally conquered the continent of Granvoise. However, the war is far from over: the continents of Scollance and Lavard have yet to been conquered, and Valvus, Darius, Tribilin, Belladonna, and Siltran have not been defeated yet...However, the capturing of the continent is good enough to celebrate..._

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_In between Granvoise and Scollance..._

Tribilin was still flying on his motorized paraglider, the late sunset turning the sky darker. Tribilin had put on goggles earlier, but he could still see the orange sun shining on the water. Tribilin then looked to the left, where he saw the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, thousands of soldiers patrolling it. There were several birds nearby that were flying towards the south, headed there to prepare themselves for the winter that lay around all of Pasca, as Scollance was known for its cold environment, most of it either plains or mountains. Just then, a blue light viewer appeared to Tribilin's left, Valvus' face on it.

Tribilin then gave off a sarcastic smirk. "Ah, hello there, Valvus! Wish I could talk, but as you can see, I'm occupied at the moment! Maybe you should contact me later, or never for that matter!"

Valvus frowned. "Tribilin, I don't have time for your childish antics. I am here to find out why you lost earlier today in Gravoise. Judging from the status alone, victory seemed secure for you. You had larger numbers, a well-trained archer unit, and I even used the power of the Ruins of Jezid to shield the gate from attack. Not only that, you had catapults and a large cavalry. The ground troops were equipped properly and had powerful weapons. So tell me how is it that you lost a battle that apparently unable to be lost?"

"My, my, how unusual to see you this frustrated, Valvus. Anyway, you can't criticize me for the UFTW for having thousands of reinforcements at hand. First, some allies of their's emerged from the forest with catapults, then the shield was somehow broken down almost instantly, then the cavalry were entirely wiped out by a trap from the UFTW, _then_ all of the prisoners escaped and helped the UFTW defeat us. So please, tell me Valvus, how would _you_ have fought under those circumstances?" Tribilin asked, a small scowl on his face.

Valvus looked a little surprised. "All of those reinforcements? Hmm...those are indeed tough circumstances. Especially since you had no reinforcements...but still! Now that Granvoise is gone, we've lost one of the three continents of Pasca! The UFTW now have a strong foothold in Pasca, and we can't attack them from Granvoise anymore! Plus, now that they have Shiroc, they can start building a navy! We've been put at a bit of a disadvantage since we had to cave in the mines in the Trabadian Desert as well!"

Tribilin shook his head. "Valvus, Valvus, Valvus. You're overreacting, you know. You've already found two of the three artifacts, and we got the ones in Lavard and Granvoise, remember? So there's no need to worry about Granvoise anymore. Besides, Helmos is a much better port than Shiroc, and it's in a centralized location. As for mines, we have nearly ten times as many mines in Scollance, and we have Mithos making our armor for us, so don't whine about that. Besides, the UFTW are weak now. They may have Granvoise, but at their current strength, there's no way they can cross the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, which, by the way, is to your left."

"Hmm...it isn't like you to be acting so normal right now. Anyway, I guess you do have some points, but we need more time to stall them until we find the third artifact. The Terresian Descender visited the Ruins of Hamarabi, and according to Silver Knight A's observations, he was able to read the hieroglyphics there, so he knows about the artifacts. However, he doesn't know about Assimilation or what it is yet, so that's good. But Tribilin, I need you to defend the Kiseki Fields region temporarily until Belladonna heals up fully. In exchange, I'll let you have some of your...'fun' back in Lavard. Think you can do it?" Valvus replied.

Upon hearing about "fun", Tribilin smirked in sadistic delight. "Heh heh heh heh heh...you can count on me, Valvus...you can count on me..."

Valvus nodded. "Good. Darius, disconnect the portal from Tribilin."

Tribilin suddenly remembered something. "Before you do that, Darius, there's one more thing I have to say. Valvus, while watching the UFTW military today, I saw something, or rather, _someone_ very interesting..."

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_The next morning, port city...  
_

As the sun had set yesterday, it rose in a similar fashion the morning after. One area to get the first rays of sunlight was the Scollance city of Helmos, located on the southern tip of Scollance, and the most profitable and well known port in all of Pasca. Since it was located in a central position, ships frequently docked in there, and merchants would always come in, selling wares from Lavard and Granvoise. The streets were always filled with people, and they would come to market to buy and sell, as well as head down to the harbor for seafood.

The harbor in Helmos was well know for its size. The city had over two thousand ports for ships, and they were usually always occupied with various trading ships from Lavard and Granvoise. Helmos also had a large export rate, its economy mainly coming from minerals and materials from Scollance's mines. The ocean's breeze came from the south, warm air from the volcano that lay on an island south of the city. The sun shined brightly, but the days were still turning colder, though winter wasn't so bad in Helmos.

There was a huge variety of shops around the city. Rather than the dull gray buildings that filled up much of Granvoise, the buildings in Helmos were made up of bright red bricks, and were warmer than the houses of Granvoise. However, the markets were always busy, and there shops there that sold almost everything, from weapons, armor, items, ordinary clothes, food, hobby shops, you could name an item, and the shops of Helmos would pretty much have at least one of the item that was asked.

Near the harbor of the city was the military base of Helmos. It was a building similar to the military base in Loret, being square shaped and having several layers, though this base was colored navy blue. The Pascan flag flew above it, the ocean wind gently touching the flag. However, it was inside the base that was more interesting, as it was currently holding a valuable person inside it...

Inside the medical ward of the building, several soldiers were lying down, most of the sick or wounded from accidents, but at the end of the room was a screen, blocking its patient. The sun creeped into the windows of the military base, and the figure stirred a bit, trying to sit up, only to find that they could barely do it. The figure noticed something on the nightstand next to them, and quickly grabbed the object and put it over there head. A male doctor came in the room just then, and noticing the moving silloutte, walked over to the figure behind the screen, who was none other than General Belladonna.

"Ah, General Belladonna, you've finally woken up! Thank Avoli that you survived!" The doctor exclaimed.

Belladonna stared at him inquistively, bringing down the eye portion of her helm. "Ugh...where am I? The last thing I remember is being on that mine cart underground, bleeding, then there was nothing else..."

The doctor nodded. "Well, that pretty much adds up to what Colonel Retz told me. Alright General Belladonna, you're in the city of Helmos, and you've been here for three days already. According to what I was told, you were found in the underground shaft near the Ures River, unconscious and bleeding. They put you on a ship, and they arrived here yesterday. They had already stopped the bleeding, but in order to make sure you were truly alright, the healers here cast healing spells on you. We had to take of your helmet too, since you were bleeding a little bit from the mouth."

Belladonna gasped. "B...but doctor! According to Master Valvus, taking off my helmet in front of someone or someone else taking off my helmet is an act punishable by death!"

"I know, I know. But we had no other choice. Besides, to be perfectly honest, I don't get why they make you wear it. As far from what I saw, you had no scars or anything like that on your face. But don't worry about me. After speaking to the general of the base, he decided not to report it to Master Valvus, given the circumstances we had to take off your helmet for. And even if I were to die for doing it, I would have died happy, knowing that my actions had saved your life." The doctor replied.

"..." Belladonna stayed silent, remembering the incident in Loret where her soldiers had sacrificed their lives so that she could get away while they held off the pursuing soldiers.

"Well, after looking at your injuries, General Belladonna, I believe that you will need two weeks of rest in order to fully regain your strength. Your leg was hit pretty badly, but it should heal up soon enough. Your arm, in comparison, only had a minor injury, so you should have no problems with it. Anyway, please get some rest, General Belladonna. You'll need it. Oh, and one more thing. Master Valvus appeared here yesterday through one of his blue light viewers to tell us to remind you that once you've healed, you will be sent to guard the Kiseki Fields region." The doctor finished.

Belladonna nodded, and closed the eye portion of her helm, lying back down...

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_One week later..._

Alex was sitting in his bed in the medical ward of Granvoise Castle, his head and chest wrapped with bandages. Last week, during the siege of Granvoise Castle, Alex had fought with Tribilin, and it would be an understatement to say that Tribilin had beat the crap out of him. Alex had managed to injure Tribilin a little bit, but nowhere nearly as bad as Tribilin had hurt him. If Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold hadn't got there in time and if Raine hadn't acted fast shortly after that, he would be dead now.

Alex then sighed, and sat up in the bed. He then tried to step up, and to his surprise, he managed to stand up easily. He then looked down at his chest, though, and sighed.

_Man, I should have known that it was ok to walk...Tribilin only injured me from the waist up. But still, I bet that I would have a hard time walking anyway because of the wounds in my head and chest. Anyway, I think I'll go down now and see some of my friends, and thank all of them for saving my life._

Alex then began walking slowly, making sure he didn't aggravate his wounds too much. Just then, the door opened, and Annie walked in, a look of surprise on her face when she saw him.

"Oh, Alex, you can walk already? With injuries like that, I'm surprised you can move at all." Annie stated. Being a doctor in training, Annie had been the one to determine Alex's physical condition while he was recovering.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, but I'm making sure to walk slowly so that I don't reopen my wounds."

"Alright, that's probably what I would have suggested to you. Anyway, the rest of Ad Libitum sent me to check on you and asked me to bring you down to the Dining Hall." Annie replied.

"The Dining Hall? Why?" Alex asked.

"Well, earlier today, the rest of the UFTW arrived here today with lots of supplies and tables, claiming that now that they were all here, they should celebrate our capture of Granvoise. They want you to join in, of course. Do you think you can?" Annie answered.

Upon hearing this, a smile broke out on Alex's face. "A celebration, huh? Of course I'll join in! I wouldn't want to miss a chance to sit down and relax with everyone else!"

Annie smiled. "Good! Well, I think you can make it to the Hall on your own. I'll go ahead and inform everyone you'll be coming."

Alex nodded, and Annie walked off, headed for the Hall. Alex then began walking slowly, also headed for the hall. He then noticed a crutch next to the door, and took that, being able to move faster with it. He then moved down the hallway, and reached the stairs, stopped using the crutch and walked slowly down. At the bottom of the stairs, he saw thousands of soldiers, all of them headed into the Hall as they were talking to each other. Alex smiled at this sight, and continued to walk through the halls, noticing many tables had been set up. When Alex entered the Dining Hall, he gaped in amazement.

Thousands and thousands of soldiers were seated around what had to be about thirty long tables, as this was the biggest room in the castle. The room itself was about two hundred feet wide, and three hundred feet long. There was a great painting on the ceiling that depicted an angel above Pasca, delivering light onto it, the angel residing in Heaven, where hundreds of other angels watched. The floor was made out of marble, and the walls were painted an elegant orange-red color. At the end of the hall, on a podium, all of the Ad Libitum members were seated around a table, all of them chatting with each other, though the celebration hadn't begun yet. Alex moved towards them, all of them smiling upon seeing him.

"Ah, you're finally up, Alex! I'm glad to see that you're alright!" Lloyd remarked.

Alex nodded back. "Yeah, though I could use a couple more days of rest. Anyway, why didn't I hear about the celebration earlier? Surely at least one of you could have told me?"

"We weren't sure at the time if you would be able to attend the celebration from your injuries. But in the end, we decided you deserved to be at this celebration no matter what, so we called for you." Eugene answered.

Alex nodded. "I see...well, thank you for being so generous."

Kratos then stood up. "Alright, it's almost time to start. Before we begin, I'll just make a speech regarding the past two months, and then we can begin."

All the Ad Libitum members nodded, and Kratos then walked up towards the edge of the podium. He waited until everyone was seated, and then he spoke up.

"Attention all UFTW forces!" Kratos exclaimed. Everyone stopped talking, and looked at Kratos, all saluting him. Kratos saluted back, and then put his hand down, causing everyone to stop saluting.

"Thank you, everyone, for being here. As we all know, it's been a tough two months, but we've finally captured all of Granvoise. As you all know, when we started the war, we only had occupation of one city. But because of everyone's hard work, we've managed to change that from one city to an entire continent. Words cannot express my gratitude towards all of you. Most of you aren't even from Terresia, and still, many of your leaders gave us your aid in the blink of an eye, and all of you have been fighting a war that you did not need to fight. For that, I want to thank all of you.

But even though we have much reason to celebrate, we have as much reason to grieve as well. Through these two months, we've already lost thousands and thousands of soldiers. All of them gave up their lives just to fight for us, a world that they barely even knew. I admit, we were selfish in seeking all of your help. But at the time, we just couldn't fight Pasca with our current military, so we had to seek out yours. We were so selfish, yet you all helped us out so easily, and those who lost their lives didn't even think about our selfishness. For this, I beg for your forgiveness.

As all of us know, there were many battles over these two months, and because of that, there were many tragedies. One I'm sure you're all familiar with was the destruction of Darlian a month ago, where Pascan General Tribilin Hemoses used some sort of power to destroy the entire city." At this part of the speech, Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold grimaced and looked down, horrible memories flowing through their heads as they remembered that day.

"But now, that time has ended for now. While we may be ready to celebrate now, remember that soon, we will be on the battlefield once again, trying to conquer the continents of Scollance and Lavard. We've only conquered one-third of Pasca, and this was its weakest continent in terms of defense. There will be challenges we'll have to face, the likes of which some of you haven't seen before. Focus all of your strengths into defeating the enemy so that we may bring about a swift end to this war.

Now, before we start the celebration, there are several people I would like to thank. First, I would like to give my regards to Nomvar Similob, Senza Alueman, and the rest of the Green Blades. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't be inside this castle right now, and your intelligence network has been very efficient so far. I hope that in the future, the UFTW and the Green Blades will continue to assist each other as we strive for the same goal. Thank you." At the Green Blades table, all of the Green Blades looked surprised, but they all saluted Kratos.

"Thank you. Next, I would like to thank all of the generals from other worlds that have been very helpful in our campaign strategy, especially General Halvun, General Yaciel, and General Curtiss. Your experience has been helpful especially in the initial phase of our campaign, where you helped in giving strategies on ways to conquer the forts and towns. My thanks." General Halvun and General Yaciel then saluted Kratos, who saluted back.

"Next, I would like to thank Genis Sage, Jay, Cless Alvein, and Harold Belserius. The four of you were imprisoned in this castle for a month, yet you were still able to provide us with inside information that was very helpful, and you also rallied up all of the other prisoners when you escaped to assist us in the siege of this castle. I can't describe how I feel about the great things you have done for us through your bravery. Thank you very much." The four of them all looked shocked at Kratos' mentioning of them, but they all saluted Kratos, the rest of Ad Libitum clapping for them.

"Finally, there's one last person I'd like to thank: General Alex Terresca. Not only were you the one who warned us of the first Pascan invasion, you were able to gather up the entire UFTW force, lead us all to Pasca, and single-handedly captured Castle Arcos. Also, you fought not just one, but _three_ of Pasca's top three generals, that is, Belladonna, Darius, and Tribilin. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you." Alex was in complete shock, barely managing to salute Kratos as the entire room cheered for him.

"Well, that's all I have to say. Let the celebration begin!"

Everyone then cheered, and then food and drinks were brought to the tables. Everyone then immediately began to eat, and the hall filled with conversation and laughter. At the Ad Libitum table, large quantities of food and drink were brought to it, and everyone started eating. Alex took some steak and rice, as well as some water, and began eating. On the upper balconies of the hall, an orchestra started playing their instruments, playing a nice tune with a trumpet and some violins.

"Ah...I haven't felt this relaxed in a while." Rutee stated, eating up her meal.

Stahn nodded. "Of course! We haven't gotten any rest at all since the beginning of the war!"

"Indeed. However, we should savor these moments as long as we can. For soon enough, we'll be back fighting the war once again." Veigue added.

Everyone then quieted down at that thought, not wanting to think of the war, until Jay interrupted. "Yeah, but we may not be getting anywhere for a while anyway."

"Huh? Why do you say that, Jay?" Luke asked.

Jay then reached into his vacuum-space sphere, and pulled out a map of Pasca. "Alright, take a look here. See the Big Bridge of Scollvoise? It connects the two continents of Granvoise and Scollance. At this point in the war, our army is still weakened from the conquest of Granvoise. The bridge is, without a question, guarded by thousands and thousands of soldiers, and they have a defensive position, making it hard for us to breach their defense. Also, currently, we have no navy, one of the key points for taking over the bridge. Without a navy, we can't get a secure position on the bridge. That's why we may be stuck here for a while."

Hearing that, everyone went silent, until Chester interrupted. "Yeah, but tonight, none of that matters. We can forget about the war today and instead celebrate that we've won one continent. So, don't talk about that kind of stuff, Jay, and instead, celebrate."

"You're...you're right. None of that matters at the moment. So let's eat!" Reid exclaimed. Everyone then cheeringly went back to their meals, eating and chatting with one another...

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_Same time, Lavard Castle..._

Valvus was eating his own dinner at this time, sitting in the palatial dining room of Lavard Castle. This time, Siltran was gone, having left earlier that week for Scollance Castle, but the Silver Knights were still at the table, as were several of Valvus' guards and head scholars.

Valvus then looked over at one of the guards, and suddenly, an idea went through his head. He motioned to one of the soldiers, raising his pinky and thumb. Knowing what that meant, the guard nodded and walked out of the room. A few second later, he came out with a light blue bell, and handed it to Valvus carefully, Valvus nodding. Valvus then rang the bell, the sound echoing through all of Pasca. Several seconds later, a blue light viewer appeared next to Valvus' face, Darius' face reflected from it. Darius then saluted.

"What can I do for you, Master Valvus?" Darius asked.

"General Darius. I need you to use your blue light viewer to connect me with Mithos. I have just remembered something that I need to talk to him about. It must be late over in his world, but I'm sure he knows by now that he lost concern of sleep a _long_ time ago. Will you do this for me, General Darius?" Valvus replied, grabbing out something.

Darius bowed. "As you wish, Master Valvus."

Darius then held his arm out, and suddenly, the blue light viewer seemed to change into some sort of static. Seconds later, the image of Mithos in his Yggdrasil form appeared on the screen, his usual annoyed look apparent.

"_What the hell do you want, Valvus? You've already lost one continent, meaning that I have to make less armor for your military, so what else do you want from me?_" Mithos asked.

Valvus sighed. "Calm down, Mithos, calm down. For once, I am not here to discuss armor or war reports. No, this time, I'm here to share with you a piece of news that you may find interesting."

"_Oh really? And what would that be?_" Mithos scoffed.

"That 'Kratos' man you described to us? We only knew his name earlier, but after you gave us your description of him, our own General Tribilin claims to have seen a man with that exact description just one week ago. And if we're right, he's still in the same place right now." Valvus replied.

Mithos gasped loudly. "_Wha...WHAT?! You say that...you've seen Kratos in Pasca?_"

"That's right. We were very to find out that not only is he fighting for the UFTW, he's also the _leader_ of the UFTW. General of the Army, if we've heard correctly."

"_WHAT!? That Kratos...he's betrayed me! Fighting against you...while I would _love _to kill you myself, fighting against people who's armor I've made makes him an enemy now!_" Mithos exclaimed.

An idea suddenly popped into Valvus' head. "Wait a minute, Mithos. Don't be so hasty. Let me get one thing straight. You claimed that Kratos was basically your right-hand man for the last 4000 years, right?"

Mithos nodded. "_Yes, with an exception of a short period of time, about five years or so. So what?_"

"What I'm saying, Mithos, is that perhaps we can use that fact to our advantage...maybe we could even use that fact to _use _Kratos for ourselves..."

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_Back at Granvoise Castle..._

By now, most of the Ad Libitum members had finished their meals, lying back in their chairs. Several of them were chatting with other members, while others remained silent. Just then, Alex noticed Nomvar walking over to the table, smiling at all of them, not wearing his normal attire, but instead a formal suit, making some of the Ad Libitum members embarressed as they had nothing formal on.

"Nomvar? What is it?" Philia asked.

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that, since you're all here, I'd like to officially thank all of you for your efforts in the war. If it weren't for you, me and the rest of the Green Blades in Shiroc would probably be dead now. And with your help, we've be able to function better during the past week. I hope that we can work this efficiently in the future once more." Nomvar answered, bowing his head to the table.

"Huh? No, we should be the ones thanking you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been able to take the castle. You were the one who got us the catapults and the one who lead the archers that killed the Pascan cavalry." Veigue replied.

Nomvar nodded. "Well, thank you."

Alex suddenly remembered something, and stood up. "Actually, Nomvar, there was something I wanted to ask you in private. Could I?"

"Of course, Alex." Nomvar replied.

Alex nodded, and walked a little bit away from the table. "Nomvar, how did you get that catapult force out there so quickly, and how was it that the Pascans didn't notice them coming?"

"Oh, that. Well, you see, we have a special messaging system that allows us to communicate with other Green Blade hideouts through hideouts that allows us to send messages to them. We sent a message to a Green Blades faction located in Rasgon, and told them to get outside of Granvoise Castle with catapults. As how they managed to get there, there are secret mine tunnels located all over Pasca that the military uses to get around Pasca. There was one very old one located in Rasgon that connected all the way to Granvoise Castle." Nomvar answered.

A frown formed itself on Alex's face. "Nomvar...this...this is like your knowledge of the Four Generals. It sounds a bit too much for a resistance leader to know that there are underground military mine tunnels all over Pasca, and the exact locations where they were. Tell me the truth: how do you know all of this?"

Nomvar frowned, a pained look on his face. "I...I can't tell you. It was a big mistake, and I regret it every day of my life. Tr...trust me, you'll think low of me if you hear the reason. I'm sorry, Alex, but I'm not telling you. Don't take this personally. Now, I'd better get back to my table."

Alex looked surprised at Nomvar's reaction, watching as he walked back to his table. _Nomvar...you're hiding something big. But what? What could be so bad that you can't speak about it? What is this "mistake"?_

Nomvar then sat down on his table, a depressed look on his face as he sat back down, which Senza noticed.

"Nomvar? What's wrong?" Senza asked, a worried tone in her voice.

Nomvar sighed heavily, his head in his hands. "It's Alex. He...he knows that something that I did that gave me all of this inside knowledge of the Pascan military...but he doesn't know yet...he can't know..."

"Nomvar...you know that it wasn't your fault...you had no idea about what you were going to be put through when you did it. I didn't think any less of you for what you did, so why should Alex?" Senza replied, her tone gentle but firm.

Nomvar shook his head. "No! That's wrong! I did it willingly...I chose that path, and despite my intentions, my sins will never go away. Even if I didn't know what was going to happen when I did it, I still did it. There's nothing I can do but regret it for the rest of my life..."

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Back at the Ad Libitum table, Alex slowly sat down, deciding to leave Nomvar alone for now. Meanwhile, the rest of the Ad Libitum members were discussing each others' home worlds, as only Alex and a few other Ad Libitum members had travelled to others worlds at the beginning of the war.

"Huh. Really, Senel? Your world sounds so much different compared to the rest of ours." Raine stated, talking to Senel.

Senel looked at Raine confused. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

Raine shook her head. "Well, I've been listening to everyone else talk, and your world, no offense intended, sounds a little...plain, compared to ours."

"Plain?" Senel asked, still confused.

"Basically, we've heard nearly everyone describe their own world, and I've noticed that a lot of our worlds share a lot of geographic features in common. I've noticed that everyone else's world contain similar things: deserts, polar regions, heavy mountainous regions, volcanoes, and big forests. Your world, on the other hand, has only a few of those, basically only mountains and forests, though I am surprised that your world contains a moving island." Raine explained.

Senel suddenly looked up. "Oh, that. You're right, but there's a reason for that. It's a long story...mind if I tell you later?"

Raine nodded. "Alright."

"So, Lloyd, what about you? You're the only person who's world we haven't heard from yet. What's it like?" Stahn asked.

Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine all frowned at once, but more like a puzzled frown. "You know, Stahn, it's the strangest thing. I have memories of my world...but for some unknown reason, there's some blanks in my memory, and there's this huge blank from a normal day in my world up until the day I arrived in Terresia. Colette, Genis, Professor, what about you?"

Colette nodded. "It's the same here. It's like I can remember some parts of my life...but there's a lot of blanks, and the last memory I had was the day before my 16th birthday...and I can't remember anything from after that until the day I arrived in Terresia as well."

"Yeah! It's the same with me! I still have memories of you guys and other times, but like you said, I have some blanks in my memories, and I share the huge blank that all of you have." Genis added.

"It's the same for me, too. I wonder why, though? It doesn't make sense for us to be having these blanks at...well, what I find random points in my life. And the huge blank...I don't think it's natural for the four of us to be missing so many memories at random parts of our lives." Raine pointed out, frowning.

Kratos then abruptly got up from his chair. "E...excuse me, all of you. I'm just going to go outside for a bit of fresh air."

Everyone nodded, but Alex frowned when he noticed Kratos sounding _nervous_ at the start of his sentence. Quickly, he looked into Kratos' eyes, and was startled to find that Kratos had a nervous, worried glance in his eyes, but Kratos turned around quickly, and headed for the balcony outside of the dining room. Johnny suddenly got out of his seat, and headed for the stairs towards the orchestra. He walked up to the orchestra, and they nodded when they saw his mandolin, and Johnny began playing something, the partying going on...

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_Balcony, outside the dining room..._

Kratos walked outside on the balcony, the cold air blowing past him. He quickly shut the door behind him, and took a deep breath as he looked out at the sky, relaxing a bit.

_Phew...that was _too _close. They know that something isn't right with their memory...I just hope that they don't find it out. If they do, my cover is blown and I won't be forgiven...it felt so good to start over anew, and I don't want to go back to the way things were...especially with you, Lloyd. Who knows what would have happened with what you had just learned about your connection to me..._

Before he could think of anything else, a strange laughter suddenly filled the air.

"_Ha ha ha ha ha...finally...after all of these months...I've found you..._" The voice called out.

Kratos gasped heavily. _That voice...No...please...please don't let it be what I think it is...anything but that!_

Just then, a blue light viewer appeared right in front of Kratos' face, Mithos staring right at him through the blue light viewer.

"_Well, well. It's been a long time, Kratos._" Mithos stated.

Kratos was barely able to speak, struck down with fear and horror. "How...how did...how did you find me?"

"_How? Well, you may not know this yet, but for the past few months, I've been providing the Pascans with armor for the war, against my own will, of course. But let us ignore that. I have something to tell you, Kratos..._"

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_Back at the party..._

Alex decided to shrug off Kratos' behavior, and turned back to his friends, though as he realized he had been talking to them a lot tonight, he turned dead silent and merely watched as they laughed and talked with one another.

_I can't...I can't talk to them. I've already talked to them too much tonight. If I keep talking to them, I'll become too close to all of them, and when the time comes where I must return to nothingness once again, it'll be too sad for both sides if I become too close to them. I don't want them grieving over me when I disappear...I'm not worthy of having so many friends when my fate's been decided already. I'll just let things play out. They all have so many friends already anyway, so it won't matter to them if I'm gone._

Alex sighed, and slumped a bit in his chair as he kept watching his friends, feeling his throat choke up. Realizing he was about to cry, Alex left the table, headed for a nearby doorway, his friends looking in surprise. Alex quickly shut the doorway, and created a portal, thinking of the now empty medical ward. He then walked through the portal, disappearing. He then walked out of the portal and into the medical ward, and sat down on the bed, now crying freely about his recent revalation.

_Damn it. Why was it that I had to be cursed to be born a Descender? What good is it having the power to save your own world when you can't even live the life of a human! Our lives our like hell in this state, as we only stay alive for a short period of time! Why couldn't I have been born a human, where I could have normal relationships with people instead of forcing myself to distance myself from them!_

As Alex continued crying, little did he know that far away, in another dimension, Prophet was watching him from afar, the two voices in his head conversing.

"_Alex...please...don't do this to yourself. All you just did was run away from your problems. That never solves anything. All that does is build up the fear in your heart until you start living in paranoia...I thought your last journey would have taught you this..._" The high-pitched voice commented in a worried tone.

"_Hmph. Such a hypocrite._" The deep voice added in a disgusted tone...

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_Outside, on the balcony..._

Kratos was still staring at the blue light viewer of Mithos, who had started whispering so low that only Kratos could hear him, apparently so that Valvus and Darius didn't hear him.

"_...Now, Kratos, that's the plan. You'll do it, yes?_" Mithos asked.

Kratos hesitated, before finally nodding. "...Very well, Lord Yggdrasill. I'll do as you say. When do you want me to do it?"

"_Hmm...right after you take over the continent of Scollance, if you get around to it. Once that happens, the Pascans will have very little interference with you as you lure them all into that city._" Mithos replied.

"And what of the others? What shall I do with them?" Kratos asked.

"_All I care about is the Chosen. Feel free to do whatever you want with the rest._" Mithos whispered.

Kratos held back a frown as he nodded again. "Understood, Lord Yggdrasill."

"_Good. I'll be waiting for the time to come._" Mithos stated. Suddenly, the blue light viewer dissapeared, leaving Kratos all alone as he stared out from the balcony.

"...Damn it. Why did this happen?" Kratos muttered, frowning as his eyes were filled with fear. He then slowly turned around, and headed back to the party.

_And so, the festivities continued on through the entire night, as the celebration for the capture of Granvoise Castle ended in the morning, the Ad Libitum members unaware of the suffering two of their own members were going through..._

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**Hi everyone! Sorry this was late, but I got sick for a week, then I went on vacation for another week! Anyway, how was it? A bit of a filler once again, but it's a little break from the action. Read and Review please!**


	25. Chapter 24: Clash on the Big Bridge

**Hi all of you! It's me, Final Poke Mario Fan, bringing you this chapter as we transition from Granvoise to Scollance! Hope you enjoy it!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 24: Clash on the Big Bridge

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_Helmos, two weeks after the battle at Granvoise Castle..._

General Belladonna was walking around the giant port city around midday, having recently recovered from her injuries enough so that she could move. She stood at the marketplace of the city, having bought an assortment of items, both for personal use and for military use, since she technically was on a short leave until the doctor deemed she was fit to fight again. She sighed as she watched all of the civilians walking around, some of them eyeing Belladonna curiously, but most of them were too busy to notice her. She watched as the people joyfully went on with their lives, and behind her helm, she smiled sadly.

She then turned to a salesperson selling some Apple Gels, buying fifteen of them. Money was no concern to Belladonna; her salary was very high, and she was payed every week. In fact, if she wanted, she had enough money to settle down for about ten years or so. But of course, there was no need for her to do that. She was completely loyal to Valvus ever since the day they had found her unconscious in a ruined village in Scollance, and although her loyalty to him had gone through a short period of questioning, she was now loyal to him again.

Belladonna then decided to head down to the harbor, interested in seeing how things were working out. She quickly walked out of the marketplace, past the bright red houses, before stopping again at a weapons store. The store was packed with all sorts of weapons, from swords to lances as well as axes, knives, maces, bows, and other types of more uncommon weapons. Spotting some tools used to refine swords, Belladonna took them and brought them up to the counter, bringing out the correct amount of money from a pouch and giving it the the salesperson.

Belladonna then took the materials and placed them in a bag she was carrying. She then walked out of the shop, feeling a breeze against the wind, the days getting colder, with winter approaching next month. Fortunately, her armor kept her warm, and she kept walking towards the harbor, walking by all of the pedestrians. Finally, she reached the harbor, gazing at it.

The harbor was as busy as always. Many people were walking to or from ships, a diverse amount of Pascans there. Merchants were exiting ships hauling carts of their merchandise, covered by white canopies. Sailors were also hauling crates on carts to and from the ships, preparing for the journies ahead. There were several soldiers in the harbor as well, boarding ships that would send the around Pasca on their duties. Because of the war, the harbor was busier than ever, though considering Pasca had had many wars in the past fifty years, most people thought it normal.

Belladonna then walked down the harbor, passing by the crowds of people. She stopped midway, silent. Hundreds of people were passing by her, none of them really noticing Belladonna as they walked. Belladonna sighed, and continued moving, a somewhat confused frown on her face as she thought of something. She shrugged it off, and headed for an alleyway that would cut her away from the main crowd if she went down it. As she walked through the alleyway, suddenly, there was a flash of light. Belladonna looked around, only to find nothing. Suddenly, she gasped as she saw Prophet in front of her.

"Ah, hello, Belladonna. We meet again." Prophet stated.

Belladonna stared at him. "...You. You're the...the man that I saw in my dream that one night. The one where we were standing over that void..."

Prophet nodded. "We see your short term memory is good, at least. But yes, it is us. We have come to talk to ask you to do something. Something important. And it's very dangerous, too."

Belladonna scoffed. "Do something dangerous for you? Please. I barely even know you. I've only met you once before this, and even then you were as mysterious as ever. Why would I do something for you?"

"...Do you wish to know the truth? The truth of your past?" Prophet replied.

Belladonna gasped. "The...truth of my past?"

"Oh yes. The truth of your past. The past can hold many things, both unhappy, and happy. Your past contains a mixture of both. Wouldn't you like to remember what you were like before Valvus found you unconscious?" Prophet asked.

_How does he know all of this?_ Belladonna thought. She stayed silent for a second, then gazed at Prophet. "...Yes. I would like to know about my past. All I have to do is do something for you, right? Then I'll do it. Please, tell me what it is that you want me to do."

"Heh. Good, now we're getting somewhere. Now, listen carefully. In two weeks, at the castle of Besos, nearby the Kiseki Fields, on Mixis (A/N: The Pascan equivelent of December) 14th, we need you to go to the lowest floor. In the Food Storage room, go to the wall and kick the wall seven times. A secret passage will open up. There will be a long hallway, where at the end there will be a dead end. Speak the words 'The gate to Avoli's blessing needs to be opened'. The walls will reveal an opening, and inside, you will see a green key called the Jade Key on a pedestal. Take the key, and hide it from everyone. We'll find a way to get you out of there, trust us." Prophet explained.

"The...the Jade Key?! Master Valvus told me about it...he said that it was the only safeguard against a powerful weapon from falling into the hands of the UFTW! Why would I steal it?" Belladonna asked.

Prophet shook his head, sighing. "When the time comes, you'll know why. Remember, if you do this, you will learn the truth about your past. Are you sure you want to go through with it?"

"...Yes. Regaining my memory has been my greatest wish for as long as I can remember. Even...Even if it mean betraying Master Valvus in a way, discovering the truth is something I must do. I...I don't like the idea, but it doesn't matter. These past two years have been painful for me on the inside...my amnesia is like something out of a nightmare I can't wake up from. Alright, I'll go along with it." Belladonna replied.

Prophet nodded, flickering away. "Excellent. We're counting on you, and trust us, you will regain your memory shortly after you do this...However, it will not be safe to meet right after the theft. We will see you several days after you commit the theft, by then which your memories will have returned." Prophet then faded away, leaving Belladonna alone in the alley as time flowed back again...

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_Same time..._

Alex was on the roof of Granvoise Castle, his sword drawn as he faced off against Luke, their swords clashing as they were engaged in their sparring session. Noticing that Luke was left handed, Alex figured it would be a good idea to try and learn to fight a left-handed person, seeing as he would have a harder time defending against them, and it would be a good chance to test out his artes. Alex struck down hard, but Luke backstepped, using Devil's Inferno, stunning Alex as he slammed his sword down. Luke followed up with Rending Thrust, combined with Light Spear Cannon as he sent Alex in the air. Alex used Rising Falcon, diving down and scraping Luke's arm.

Luke grunted, but quickly rebounded back, using Slag Assauly, knocking Alex back a few inches. Luke then used Sonic Blast, but Alex used Guardian in time, stopping the attack. Alex quickly used Sword Rain Alpha, striking at Luke several times, before suddenly stopping, clutching his chest for a second, gripping hard, but it softened a few seconds later.

Luke looked at Alex, concerned. "Alex, what's wrong? Is it your injuries?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah...while they're nearly healed, if I'm not too careful, I could possibly reopen them. Ironic that it would happen on the very roof where I recieved these injuries, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess. Are you wounds really that bad?" Luke asked.

"Tribilin...he's the biggest bastard I know, but he's really good in torturing people, in this case, mentally. Every...everytime I feel my wounds act up, I can feel his fists slamming into me over and over again...or the memory of him slamming my head into the roof several times. When I fought him, I felt more pain in that one battle than I had ever felt before. Everything hurt so much, I wanted to kill myself to be free of the pain. If it hadn't had been for Genis and Harold, there's no question that I would be dead now." Alex explained, a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh, sorry for asking." Luke answered, noticing Alex's discomfort.

Alex shook his head. "No, no, it's alright to be curious. Anyway, let's stop for today. I must admit, your swordsmanship is very good! Your artes connect to each other very easily, and you have enought speed to keep your enemy at bay. Where did you learn to fight so good?"

Luke suddenly frowned, discomfort evident in him as well. "My...my sword master taught me how. But...now I wish I hadn't learned anything from him at all."

"Huh? Why?" Alex asked.

"He...he used me...to do something horrible. All of those years, locked away in my manor, I thought that he was the only person who understood me. But...now I see it was all just because he saw me as a tool. At one point in my world, I had to visit a city filled with suffering people as a peace ambassador. There, my master told me that there was something I could do to remove the cause of suffering in the town. When I...I did what he told me to do, the entire city was destroyed and everyone in the city died. If it hadn't been for Tear, I would have died as well." Luke explained, a sad look on his face.

Alex gasped, shocked. "Your...your own master did that to you?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, but even knowing that he made me do it doesn't change the fact that I destroyed the entire city and killed those people. It's my own fault, though...back then, I followed my master so blindly...whatever he said, I would follow it. I ignored the injured people who were around me in that city just to find my master...and someone else kept telling me not to follow my master, but I ignored him. And look what happened...I ended up just a pawn, a way for my master to further his plans along."

That event was what changed me. After that incident, I soon learned something horrifying about myself, who I was. A short time later, I came to realize that I was a really selfish jerk...no, don't say anything, it's true and we both know it." Luke stated, interrupting Alex, who had opened his mouth at the "selfish jerk" remark.

"Anyway, after that, I vowed to change. Change so that I could be someone better. I knew nothing would ever take away my crime of destroying the city, so I vowed to stop my master. The first thing I did was cut my hair...to show my departure from who I once was. After that, I reunited with my friends, and after a long journey, we finally killed my master. I then managed to do something that we had come to do where my master was, and suddenly, there was a blue light that sucked me, Tear, and Jade inside of it. We appeared in front of you, and the rest is history." Luke finished.

Alex nodded, stunned. "I see. I'll be honest Luke. When I first met you in Ailily about nine months ago, I didn't like you at all. It's as you said...I thought you were selfish, spoiled, and rude. I tried avoiding you as much as possible because of this. When you came back and I saw you had changed, I was unsure what to think of you. But now, after seeing your dedication to the war and your new personality, I'm glad I gave you a second chance. Thank you for all of the hard work that you've put into this, and I would ask that you forgive me for thinking of you so lowly."

Luke shook his head. "No, there's no need to apologize. I'm the one who should apologize to you for acting so rude. But either way, I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too." Alex replied, smiling. He reached his hand out, and Luke shook it, also smiling.

"Well, now that we're done with sword training, shall we get something to eat? It's almost lunchtime." Alex asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Alex nodded, and the two headed for the staircase, walking down to the dining hall...

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_One week later, Granvoise Castle's strategy room..._

Alex sat near the end of the table at the strategy room, where all of the generals and Jay sat. This strategy room was the biggest Alex had seen so far. Unlike most of the strategy rooms Alex had been in, this one had windows, allowing everyone to see the sunset that was occuring at this time. The walls were painted green, and various war artifacts were attached to the walls. A map of Pasca hung up on the wall, showing the three continents of the world. Alex yawned in his seat, stretching back a little bit.

Seeing this, General Yaciel smiled for a second. "Still tired from your six day trip, General Terresca?"

Alex nodded. It had happened last week. On the same day Alex had sparred with Luke, Jade had come to him with orders. He gave him letters from both himself and Leon, talking about a request they had made. For the upcoming battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, Jade stated that battleships were a must have. The soldiers in Shiroc had been working hard, but they didn't have many ships ready yet. Jade explained to Alex that he had talked to Leon, and both agreed to send letters to their rulers requesting many ships. In return, they would pay them a large amount of money, about one-fourth of the UFTW's war funds.

However, this would require something stressful on Alex's part. He would have to go to Shiroc first and talk with the owners of the port in order to gain permission to use the port for all of the ships. Next, Alex would have to teleport to Auldrant and Leon's world and give the letters to both leaders. Then, if they accepted, Alex would then go to the harbors, and use his power to open up a giant portal to Shiroc. Once all of the ships were through, Alex would join them and arrive in Shiroc. However, he would be careful not to inform one world about the other world lending them ships as well, as the rulers might feel they were being used unfairly by the UFTW and stop funding them.

Alex agreed, and teleported to Shiroc. The next day, he talked with the harbor owners, and after a long talk, they finally agreed to let him use their port for a price. Alex agreed, and then immediately traveled to Auldrant, headed for Grand Cokmah, the capital of Jade's country. He gave the letter to the emperor there, who almost instantly agreed to lend them ships. Alex then stayed in Auldrant for a day, and when all of the ships had gathered at Grand Cokmah's harbor, Alex created the portal. Having never created a portal that big before, Alex felt strained, but knew it was necessary. He then got on board the final ship through the portal and returned to Shiroc.

The following day, Alex formed a portal and used it to travel to Leon's world, arriving in Darilsheid, the capital of Seingald, Leon's nation. Unlike with Auldrant, it took a lot longer to convince Seingald's king to lend them ships, since the king wasn't as connected with Leon anymore. Alex remembered when they had arrived in Seingald for the first time, Leon was greeted with the shocking news that his father, the owner of a company that produced "Lens", a source of energy for the world, was dead. Either way, the ruler finally agreed after a long talk, and Alex sent the ships through the next day, joining the last one. When he returned, he stayed in Shiroc for one more day to make sure everything was fine, and then teleported back to Granvoise Castle.

Alex broke out of his thoughts as Kratos, Jade, and Jay walked up to the map of Pasca, everyone growing silent as they watched the three. Jade motioned for a guard to close the shades just in case there were any Pascans spying on them from afar. When the shades were closed, everyone focused their attention back on the three.

"Alright, let's begin the strategy meeting for the battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise. Take a look at this map, everyone. As you can see, we have control of Granvoise, the easternmost continent. In order to continue on with the war, we need to cross the Big Bridge of Scollvoise. It's a long, twenty mile bridge that is the only land route from Granvoise to Scollance. While we could try make a landing by the sea, that would not be a good idea, as scouts have reported that there are many sea patrols guarding the coast of Scollance, plus the strongest port in all of Pasca, Helmos, is close and well armed. Therefore, we'll make a land assault." Jay began.

Jade picked up from there. "For the last three weeks, the Pascans have made no effort to retake Granvoise. It's almost as if they're waiting for us, meaning they're confident in the defenses of the bridge. We've gotten scout reports that basically confirm their confidence. The bridge is heavily defended, with about 50,000 soldiers guarding the bridge. Not only that, the whole bridge is outlined so that there are archer posts within 35 yards between each other, meaning there's about 1000 archer posts on the bridge. Also, they have lots of cannons posted on both sides of the bridge, so an attack by ships is very hard to accomplish."

Kratos pointed at the bridge again. "That's not all. There are soldiers with different specialties on the bridge, and one fo the bridge's specialties is that they have a diverse infantry, cavalry, _and _heavy armored infantry when it comes to weaponry. Also, the archer towers contain mages who are ready to blast soldiers on sight. The soldiers there are much better trained the ones we've fought so far, and they have very strong weapons and armor."

Alex lowered his head, shocked by all he was hearing. _No way...with all of these defenses, the Big Bridge of Scollvoise sounds inpregnable! How are we supposed to break its defenses?_

"However, we have found one weakness in their defenses. General Terresca, may I speak to you directly?" Jade continued.

Alex looked up. "Huh? Sure, what is it?"

"Forgive us for making you do this again, but we have a plan that will require you to assist the navy with your teleportation powers. We've made movements that makes the Pascans think we will be attacking them from the south, since we've been mobilizing in Shiroc. They have likely set a high number of soldiers to defend the south side of the bridge, and have left the north side mostly ignored. We need you to travel to Shiroc, and when the time comes, create a portal that will lead them north of the bridge. We will send you in a boat of your own so you can scout the northern side of the ocean to find a point to teleport them. However, make sure to send only 75 percent of the navy through the portal, and have the other 25 percent attack from the south. Is this clear, General Terresca?" Jade ordered.

"Understood, General Curtiss." Alex replied, sighing.

Jade nodded, and Jay continued talking. "Good. Moving on, while our navy is being teleported by General Terresca, we will start off the attack with our heavily armored infantry, aided by our normal infantry. Their goal will be to hold off the ground troops until the navy arrives. When the navy arrives, General Terresca, you will order them to target the archer towers. The whole key to the battle is to take out the archer towers as fast as we can, so be sure they work on that. Since the ships from Auldrant have heavier firepower, have them attack the first towers.

Then, when the archer towers are being attacked, we will send in the cavalry to push the enemy forces back. At the same time, we will have the heavily armed infantry work on dismantling the cannons by pushing them into the ocean. Next, the normal infantry will work to fight the rest of the enemy forces. We will repeat this until we reach the end. This battle will take several days, no question about it. We need all the strength we can get, so make sure to stick with the plan. We will require about 100,000 soldiers for this battle. The bridge is about 500 yards wide, so we don't have to worry about fitting everyone."

Kratos stepped forward once again. "One final note. If the battle is successful, we will arrive at the other side of the bridge. There will undoubtably be tens of thousands of bodies after the crossing. It may sound cruel, but we can't bury that many people. The bodies will have to be burned using a special oil that won't damage the bridge in any way. I don't really want to do it, but we don't have the time to bury so many bodies. Got it?"

Everyone grimaced at this thought, a frown on their faces, but they all reluctantly nodded.

"Good. Well, that's all for the strategy. You're all dismissed." Kratos replied.

Everyone saluted Kratos, and got out of their chairs, headed for the door as the shades were brought back up, the sunlight filling the room. Suddenly, as he looked out the window, he saw a large group of people, tens of thousands of them headed to the castle.

"Kra...General Aurion! Everyone! Outside the window! There's a large group headed for the castle!" Alex exclaimed.

Everyone gasped, and suddenly ran for the windows. When they all looked outside, their mouths went agape at the sight of the soldiers.

"Could...could those be remnants of Granvoise soldiers?" Alex wondered aloud.

Jay frowned. "Hold on, something's not right...if they're really remnants of the Granvoise army, why would they be coming from the west, or in case of the angle, the east side of Granvoise? We secured that area early on in the war, right? If they really are Granvoise remnants, they should come from the east of this castle, not the west."

"Hmm...you have a point there...why don't we go to the top of the castle in order to get a better look?" General Halvun suggested.

Kratos nodded. "Good idea. Everyone, to the upper walls!"

All the generals nodded, and ran out of the strategy room, headed for a nearby staircase. They ran up it, and soon emerged on the outer walls, other soldiers watching the large group of people. They were about to ring the alarm bell, but Kratos got there in time, and stopped him from ringing the bell, saying they should wait. Alex and the rest of the generals watched the group.

"Kratos, you have good eyesight, right? Can you see anything?" Alex asked.

Kratos glanced at the group before them. "Let's see...Well, I see they're armed, so there's no question that they're soldiers. Most of them are pretty young, ranging from about their early twenties to early fifties. Most of them have a...how do I put this...bright look in their eyes."

"'Bright look in their eyes'? What's that mean?" Alex asked.

Kratos sighed. "I mean that it's likely most of them have never seen real combat before."

Alex was about to reply to that, when he looked at the soldiers below him and suddenly noticed a flag. His confused look suddenly turned into a shocked one as he gasped, then he smiled.

"Soldiers! Open the gate!" Alex exclaimed.

"Open the gate? What are you thinking, Alex?" Jay asked.

Alex shook his head. "It's alright. Take a look at their flag, and you'll see why I'm doing this."

Kratos looked at the flag, and gasped when he saw it. "That flag...it's the flag of Terresia!"

"The...the flag of Terresia? And you say that most of them are probably new to war? Then that means...they must be our reinforcements! After three months, we finally have fully trained soldiers!" General Yaciel exclaimed, smiling.

Jay looked surprised. "That means...we stand a better chance against the soldiers in battle tommorow!"

Most of the generals started cheering, soldiers joining them as they heard the news. Word spread quickly through the base, and cheers broke out as the UFTW flocked out to the halls to greet the UFTW reinforcements. Alex ran down the stairs back towards the main hall, and made it just in time to see the new UFTW recruits marching in. Everyone cheered as they greeted their new comrades, the new soldiers smiling and waving.

_They won't be smiling after tommorow_, Alex thought, thinking about the battle tommorow. He walked out into the crowd, knowing as a General, it was his job to give the soldiers commands. Alex went to the head of the crowd, and the new recruits stopped as their leader walked up to Alex.

"Welcome, fellow UFTW soldiers. I am Brigadier General Alex Terresca, here to greet you to Granvoise Castle. It must have been a long journey, coming from the World Tree, but we're glad to see you all here." Alex explained.

The general nodded. "Thank you. I am Colonel Gruez, in charge of the 253rd Division of the United Forces of the Worlds. Please, tell us the current situation, and tell us our orders, General Terresca."

"You are all currently at Granovoise Castle, capital of the continent of Granvoise. For the past three months, we fought to gain control of this region, and three weeks ago, we finally captured this castle. As for what's happening now, you've arrived at both a good and bad time. Tommorow, we will be launching a heavy assault on the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, a heavily guarded, twenty mile bridge that connects the continents of Granvoise and Scollance. We could use your help, so we will send some of you into battle tommorow. But right now, just get some rest. You'll need it." Alex replied.

"I see. Thank you, General Terresca." Colonel Gruez replied. Alex noticed that upon hearing there was a battle tommorow, many of the soldiers had started looking nervous at the prospect of that. Alex remembered that only three months ago, he had been exactly the same way...

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_That night, Helmos..._

Belladonna walked out of the military base of Helmos, headed for the stables. Her doctor has told her today she was fully healed, and was ready to fight again. She didn't want to attract too much attention as she left, so she tried to make sure she left as quietly as possible. She entered the stables, and approached the stableboy present. She handed him some gold coins, and in return, he lead her to her horse. Belladonna's horse was a contrast from Alex's. Instead of black, Belladonna's horse was pure white, with a black mane. It had a brown leather saddle on its back, and had brown eyes.

Belladonna stroked the horses' mane, and the horse eased up on her. Smiling behind her helm, Belladonna mounted the horse, getting on top of its saddle. She grabbed the reigns, and spoke to the horse.

"Let's go, Gestonis." Belladonna muttered. She grabbed the reigns, and guided her horse, Gestonis, through the stables. When she got out and reached the main rode, she kicked Gestonis in the sides, Gestonis whinnying as he ran on through the street, Belladonna riding through the night towards the Kiseki Fields...

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_4:00 A.M., nearby Granvoise Castle waters..._

Alex was riding in a smal boat, scouting the waters north of the Big Bridge of Scollvoise. He had stopped a short time ago, and had pretty much secured a spot for the military. Nodding to himself, he yawned for a second, and started forming a portal, picturing outside the docks of Shiroc. He finished the portal, and went through it, his body disappearing while his boat was left behind.

Alex's portal appeared in the middle of the harbor in Shiroc. There were some sailors still making preparations for the battle today that were falling asleep, but the sight of Alex appearing out of nowhere shocked all of them into an awake state. Alex scratched the back of his head, chuckling nervously, before he sighed and got to work, waiting until 6:00 in order to speak with the navy...

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_Two hours later..._

Alex was sitting inside the military base of Shiroc, drinking a cup of coffee. He was sitting in front of several of the navy captains and generals, all of them sitting down as he explained the plan.

"So let me get this straight. With the help of your powers, we're to lead a pincer attack on the enemy force?" One of the captains asked.

Alex nodded. "That's right."

One of the generals looked down at the ground. "That's far too risky. You may have noticed this, but there's several problems with the plan. One is that the enemies' defense, even if we catch them off guard, will still be tight. They may be expecting most of our ships to come from the south, but they Pascans are smart. They won't take the chance of leading the north side unguarded. We can't destroy the guard towers unde that heavy firepower!"

"You're right. That's why the Auldrant ships will be going first, since they have heavier armor and stronger weapons. The heavily armed infantry will try dismantling the cannons for us, so just focus on the archer towers. This way, we can eliminate the ground soldier's biggest threat, and they will eliminate our biggest threat. Once we've got the towers out of the way, we should focus on trying to defend ourselves from the Scollance navy, which will be attacking us by then. The Auldrant ships will then continue to attack the bridge while the rest try to fight the Pascan navy." Alex explained.

One captain looked confused. "Why spend our time on their navy? Why not just attack the bridge? We're supposed to eliminate the enemies on the bridge, right?"

Alex nodded. "Normally, I'd agree, but we can't afford the possibility of accidentally destroying the bridge. That bridge is the only land route between Granvoise and Scollance, so we have to keep it in as best shape as possible. Plus, if we accidentally take out part of the bridge, the Pascans could send for reinforcements, giving us a bigger disadvantage than we already have."

"Is this really an order from the head of the UFTW? This battle sounds impossible, even if we attack the sniper towers!" Another captain complained.

"I know how you feel, but we have no other choice. We need to win control of the bridge. Otherwise, we'll be stuck in Granvoise for a while. It may seem impossible, but there's always a way to win a battle, no matter the odds." Alex replied.

"...We understand. We'll board the ships now. We'll be ready by 8:00." The general in charge of Shiroc answered.

Alex nodded, and all of the captains and generals got out of their seats and headed for the docks, preparing for what be the longest, biggest, and most bloodiest battle so far in the war...

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_An hour and a half later, 5 miles from the Big Bridge of Scollvoise..._

The UFTW was gathered around near a forest close to the bridge. This was by far the largest force the UFTW had ever assembled into battle, with over one hundred thousands soldiers standing in formation. A lot of them looked around nervously, some of them wearing pieces of papers with their names on them so they wouldn't die an '"unknown soldier". As the clouds shifted over the morning sun, the sky turned grey, the cold air prominent today.

"Well...this is it." Genis muttered.

"Right. But this could be it, you know? A lot of us are going to die today, after all. The question is who?" Jay replied.

Lloyd angrily growled at Jay. "Jay! Don't say things like that! We're nervous enough as it is!"

Jay shrugged. "I am merely stating the facts. If you don't like them, you don't have to listen to me."

"That's not the point! What I'm saying is that if you have something negative to say, then keep it to yourself!" Lloyd snapped back.

Kratos raised his arm. "Lloyd, Jay, enough. Now is not the time to be arguing."

"..." Both of them shut up at this.

Chester sighed. "I'm tired of waiting around for so long! Can't we just attack now?"

"No, we wait for the signal from Alex. If we don't attack in succession with the navy, the whole battle is a failure. We may have superior numbers, but the defenses of the bridge if enough to make these numbers seem like nothing. But then again, if you have a death wish, then go ahead and be my guest." Jade replied.

"...Yeah, you're right. Sorry." Chester replied.

Nomvar was sharpening his daggers, looking up. "Even if we have the ships, though, that won't be enough. The Big Bridge of Scollvoise is made of very powerful stone, stone that is almost impossible to melt. The towers are well reinforced, and they are designed so well that you can't even see the archers and mages in the towers. The cannons themselves contain cannonballs powerful enough to penetrate steel. And let's not forget that the bridge itself is 20 miles long, and every inch is swarming with Pascan soldiers."

"Wow, Nomvar, I'm impressed! How do you know so much about the bridge?" Reid asked.

"..." Nomvar grew silent, a grim look on his face as he went back to sharpening his knives.

"O...Ok..." Reid awkwardly replied.

Eugene looked at the sun. "It's almost time. Get ready, everyone."

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_Shiroc, fifty minutes later..._

Alex was standing on the last ship left in the harbor headed for the battle. In front of him was a giant portal that he had created that would fit all of the ships through, which would arrive at the north side of the bridge at a safe enough distance to avoid being spotted, but close enough to signal the rest of the soldiers. The ships that were not going through the portal had left before the other ships so that they wouldn't be slown down; Alex expected they'd arrive by the second day of the battle. He was currently on one of the ships from Auldrant, standing out on the deck so that he could observe the harbor.

One of the sailors walked up to him. "General Terresca, we're ready."

Alex nodded. "Good. Go through the portal."

The sailor nodded, and spoke the captain, who started shouting orders to his men. The ship suddenly started moving, a fact that amazed Alex since the ship had no sails. It seemed to move at its own pace as it went down the harbor into the portal. As soon as the ship was through the portal, it disappeared into nothingness, the stage for the battle set...

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_North of the bridge, waters..._

Alex's ship rode out of the portal, arriving at the meeting point. Hundreds of other ships were already there, waiting to go into action. In the distance, Alex could see the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, stretching for miles and miles. The boat Alex had been in that morning had been crushed by the bigger boats, the splinters of it floating in the water. The Audrant ships were in the front while the other ships were in the back, but all of them had their cannons ready. Alex then glanced at the sailors, then nodded.

"Launch the signal!" Alex ordered.

The sailors saluted back, and a mage stood in the middle of the ship. He started casting, and when he finished, he cast Explosion in the air, the red light seen for miles...

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Back at the forest, the other soldiers were still waiting, when suddenly, the bright red light from Explosion enveloped all of them.

"That's the signal! Everyone, move out!" Kratos exclaimed.

The soldiers let out a battlecry, and everyone rode off, headed for the bridge...

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_Big Bridge of Scollvoise, half an hour later..._

The guards in the watch tower were very alert, having seen the Explosion in the sky earlier. Suddenly, one of them noticed something in the distance, and gasped when he saw the giant UFTW force headed straight for the bridge. Frantically, the guard ran towards the alarm bell, and rang it, every soldier stopping as they heard it. The first mile commander ran to the tower, looking up.

"Commander! A very large enemy force is headed this way!" The guard explained.

The commander cursed. "So...it's finally time. All archers and mages, to the towers! Lancers, get in the front lines! Cavalry, you stay in the back until necessary! Heavy armed infantry, to the front lines as well! Infantry, back them up! Let's go!"

All of the guards let out a battlecry, and got ready. The UFTW charged towards the bridge, and the archers in the towers opened fire, their arrows hitting many of their targets. They continued once again, but the UFTW kept charging no matter how many people they lost. Finally, after about two minutes, the two forces collided.

To combat the lancers, Chester aimed his bow and used Dragon Slayer, launching the red balls of energy into the crowd. Reid ran in first, and parried a Pascan soldier's lance as he stabbed the soldier through the neck. He then quickly backstepped to avoid an arrow, and then used Rising Phoenix, diving into the crowd as he killed several soldiers. Suddenly, he was struck by a lance and fell down, but before the deathblow could be delivered, Lloyd rode by and chopped the soldier's arm off, giving Reid the time to thrust his sword through the enemies' chest.

Arche flew all over the place, flying to avoid the arrows that were being shot at her. She quickly started casting, and used God's Breath, the pillar of wind crashing into the Pascan soldiers. Eugene joined in with the front lines, and started impaling everyone he saw, his lance piercing the enemies' armor. Kratos jumped off his horse and drew his sword, gracefully swinging it as he fluidly struck down a Pascan soldier through the back, quickly blocking an attack with his shield, but he cringed as an arrow hit him in the arm.

Genis started casting while flanked by the heavily armed soldiers, and cast Eruption into the Pascan soldier crowd, screaming as they were burnt to death. Suddenly, a soldier dove and knocked Genis to the ground, and was about to kill him when Nomvar rode by and threw a dagger in the soldier's eye, shooting him with an arrow in the chest a second later. Jay then ran by and charged straight through an enemy, striking him in the chest with his knife. He retrieved his knife and proceeded to move on.

Senel was busy as well, caught up with a whole group of swordsmen. They all ran at him, only for Senel to rush at the middle one and use Phantom Dragon Dance, kicking him several times, killing him. The third swordsman swung at Senel, only for him to grab the sword and throw him to the ground. Senel quickly picked him up, and smashed into ground, his skull crushed. Farah ran by and hit the last swordsmen in the neck, breaking it as he fell lifeless to the ground.

Veigue ran at a group of lancers who were targeting him. Veigue ran directly at one of them, and then used Genryuzan, zipping right past the soldier and slashing him in the back. Suddenly, an arrow hit Veigue in the back, but he quickly pulled it out and swung down at a soldier, finishing him off with a Zeshogan. Cless then ran towards a lancer and thrust his sword through the soldiers' chest, swing across as he ran across another lancer. Luke was over on the right side of the bridge, and was swiftly dealing with the swordsman in the area, using Rending Thrust to knock the soldiers in the air and using Light Spear Cannon to finish them off.

The mages had to play it very safe, as in the battlefield, they were like a glass cannon. Philia cast while Garr defended her with his bow and sword, shooting off far away enemies one second and slicing them down the next. Philia finally used Extension, the dark energy killing several soldiers. Stahn ran down the road and quickly used Hell Pyre, the circular fire saw cutting down several soldiers. He landed, and suddenly, he was hit by a soldier's sword. He grunted, but just then, Leon appeared and impaled the soldier through the chest, stabbing him in the heart with his knife.

Overall, the battle was still in favor of the Pascans, as their archers were unable to be touched as they shot down many UFTW soldiers. Suddenly, a cannonball appeared out of nowhere, and smashed one of the archer towers down, many of the survivors in the tower screaming as they fell to their deaths in the water, many of them unable to swim. Everyone then literally stopped as they glanced to the north. They all gasped as they saw the ships flowing down the river, their cannons firing at the towers, though many of their shots missed.

"It's the reinforcements from Shiroc!" Rutee exclaimed.

"What?! Shiroc! How is that possible! Shiroc is to the south! We were expecting an attack from that direction!" One soldier shouted out.

The commander grunted. "Damn it! Infantry, man the cannons! Take down those ships!"

"Heavy armed infantry, stop those cannons! We'll cover you!" Kratos exclaimed.

Both sides let out a battlecry, and the battle became a fight for the cannons as the two sides struggled with each other to use the cannons. Some Pascan soldiers managed to get them, and fired at the ships. One of them hit a ship, which started rocking as it took damage. In retaliation, the cannons from the Auldrant ships fired again, and hit another archer tower, falling onto the bridge, the stone crumbling from the impact.

Alex stood at the bow of his ship, observing the battle. He looked up at the lookout in the crow's nest. "Sailor, what's the status of the battle?"

The sailor took a close look at the battle with his binoculars, and looked down at Alex. "Right now, the UFTW are still losing! The archer assault as well as the heavy armored infantry has been wearing them down, but they're doing better now that we took down two of the towers."

"Thank you." Alex replied. _Just wait, everyone...Just another forty minutes or so, and I'll be able to join you..._

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_Forty minutes later..._

The battle was still raging on the Big Bridge. Overall, little progress had been made. The UFTW were still basically in the same spot, but finally, thanks to the navy's assault, the UFTW were finally gaining some ground, about 30 of the archer towers having been destroyed. Alex looked up at the sun, and then looked back at the lookout.

"Sailor! Lend me your binoculars for a minute!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yes, sir!" The lookout replied. He quickly descended down a ladder, and landed next to Alex, handing him the binoculars. Alex looked through them, and saw a point where most of the fighting was going on. He then closed his eyes, and pictured the area he had just saw. He felt the teleportation mana in his body, and reached out for it, the mana surging in his arm. Alex stretched out his arm, and formed a portal from his hand. He handed the binoculars back to the now stunned soldier, and he drew his sword and readied his shield, running through the portal...

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_Back on the Big Bridge of Scollvoise..._

The UFTW were fighting fiercely, their soldiers still strong. Lloyd was currently in a tight spot, surrounded by six soldiers. One enemy dove at him, but Lloyd dodged and impaled the soldier through the face. Suddenly, one soldier knocked Lloyd to the ground. He was about to plunge his blade through Lloyd's chest, when Alex appeared from behind him, and quickly plunged his sword through his back, killing the Pascan soldier.

Lloyd and Alex then teamed up, fighting back to back. Lloyd ran at one soldier and landed a four hit combo on him, while Alex severed his head. Alex then used Victory Light Spear on a soldier, and when he was landing, Lloyd impaled the enemy through the chest. Alex then used Spreading Chaos, stunning the other three soldiers as Lloyd finished them off.

The intense battle continued, but since it would take hours, maybe days to speak of the battle, the battle will be skipped to its result...

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_Three days later..._

Alex stood at the Scollance edge of the bridge, next to Kratos, Jade, General Halvun, General Yaciel, and Eugene. All six of them were so exhausted that they could collapse, but there was one last thing they had to do before they could do so. The cloudy sky from three days ago had become a raging storm, the rain hitting the ground very hard. A blank, sad look was on all six of their faces, looking at the Big Bridge of Scollvoise.

The bridge, which had once been a sea of stone was now a sea of corpses. For the past three days, the UFTW had fought their way through the bridge, the battle bloodier by the second. Several UFTW ships had been sunk, but all of the cannons and archer towers had been destroyed, nothing left of them. The ships from the south had arrived on the second day of fighting, destroying the south side of the bridge. The bodies on the bridge were all in grotesque poses, many of the soldiers, or at least what was left of them, having horrified looks on their faces.

Suddenly, several soldiers rode from the bridge, all hold golden pots, traces of something on their tips. The generals had looked up, the sad look only growing bigger. The soldiers on the horses stopped in front of the generals, their faces saddened and horrified.

"Is the...is the oil in place?" General Halvun asked, his voice choking up.

"Y...yes." One of the soldiers replied.

Kratos then grabbed a torch. "I'll do it."

With a sad look, Kratos walked up to the bridge, towards the first body, traces of oil on him, along with every other soldier. Reluctantly, Kratos lit the torch, and placed it on the first soldier's body. His body was aflame, and the oil from his body connected to the other soldiers, the flame spreading to every soldier on the twenty mile bridge.

Tears flowed down Alex's eyes as he watched this scene. He had remembered the grief and horror he had felt when the battle casualty report had come in, the message sinking into him. It had read:

**BATTLE FOR THE BIG BRIDGE OF SCOLLVOISE CASUALTY REPORT**

**STARTING FORCES:**

**PASCA: 76,000**

**UFTW: 132,500**

**DEAD:**

**PASCA: 76,000**

**UFTW: 80,000**

**WOUNDED**

**PASCA: 0**

**UFTW: 43,623**

**OVERALL REPORT**

**156,000 DEAD**

**43,623 WOUNDED**

_156,000. 156,000 human _lives _lost today. 43,623 of them wounded. 156,000 people who's names and faces I'll never know. 156,000 people who are being burnt like heretics now. 156,000 people who didn't deserve death. Why? Why did this war have to happen? Why was it that in only three days, one tenth of a million people died? Why is it that the lives of the innocents must be lost for something one person did?! His life is worth far less all of these lives. He death could have replaced all of these people! Why must war be this way!_

Alex couldn't hold it back any longer, and started crying audibly, his cries loud as he grieved for all the dead and the wounded, the light of the burning bodies shining as the intensity of the rain grew, lightning striking...

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**Hey! How was it, everyone? The ending was really depressing, I know, but this is war and this is reality. Still, I enjoyed using a Final Fantasy reference for the chapter, something I had planned all along. But just you wait, everyone! In three more chapter, the best part of the story will happen! Please wait patiently!**

**P.S. Because school's getting more demanding, I'll be having trouble trying to fit the next couple of chapters in. But don't worry, as I really want to get to writing Chapter 27 REALLY BADLY! Anyway, please Read and Review!**


	26. Chapter 25: Village of Silence

**Hi everyone. It's Final Poke Mario Fan, here to deliver the next chapter of this story. If everyone's ready, let's go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 25: Village of Silence

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_Outside of the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, two days after the battle ended..._

Alex was sitting inside his tent at the UFTW campground near the Big Bridge of Scollance. The whole campground was a disheveled mess, with soldiers and medics walking back and forth between tents. The night was cold, the pre-winter air blowing fast on the tents. The campground was in a flat plain, the whole area a barren wasteland. In a war hundreds of years ago, this area had once been bountiful, but in a previous war, Granvoise had burnt all of the crops in the region and poured salt into the earth, ensuring that plants would never grow there again. Alex sighed, and watched sadly as he saw medics pass by his tent, carrying the dead body of a soldier on a stretcher, no doubt having succumed to injuries from the Battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise.

_The battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise..._Just thinking those words made Alex go dark. He had participated heavily in the three-day battle, which had ended in complete disaster. While the UFTW had one, they had slaughtered every single Pascan soldier, and 80,000 of the UFTW forces had been killed, with over 40,000 wounded. Over the past two days, some of the wounded survived, some of them had died, some were going to die, and some were still uncertain. Alex stared at the ground as he thought about this.

Just then, a soldier entered Alex's tent. "General Terresca, the other generals have called a meeting in the central tent. They need you to join them."

"Thank you." Alex replied. He got off his cot, went to the door and pushed aside the falds. He walked through the campground, trying his best not to watch the medics go from tent to tent. He finally ended up in the center of the campground, which, unlike all of the other tents in the area, was orange, and was circular, contrasting with the triangular green tents. Alex pushed aside the falds in that tent, and saw Kratos, Jade, Eugene, General Halvun, and General Yaciel. Alex noticed there was a seat avaliable, and took it, sitting down.

"Hello, everyone. What's the current status of the army right now?" Alex asked. While he was a general, he was only a Brigadier General, the lowest rank for a General, and therefore usually informed last of these kind of things.

Kratos answered that question. "To be honest, we're in chaos. We've been getting more and more reinforcements from other worlds, and we've now regained our numbers, but our assault pratically took out a good deal of some of our more experienced soldiers. So in other words, while we are getting more soldiers, we've lost our good soldiers and now they've been replaced with soldiers who have no real combat experience. Sort of a double-edge sword, if you will."

Alex shook his head. "It doesn't matter if they're all inexperienced in real combat. Weren't we all like them once? I remember my first day of real war combat, back in Terresia, and then the first real battle on Darlian three months ago. I was so inexperienced back then, but now I've gotten much better. With the exception of me, weren't we all once just ordinary soldiers, joining the military out of hope for adventure, out of nationalism, or out of the want to protect our own country."

Kratos smirked a bit, everyone else smiling at Alex's words. "True, you do have a point there. I remember the first time I went into combat as well, even though it was so long ago..."

Jade cleared his throat, attracting everyone's attention. "Right, well, since I'm not reminiscing on the past like all of you, I'd like to tell everyone of another problem we've had. Yesterday, we discovered that there was a colonel in the UFTW who was appropriating war funds and using them for his own personal gain. We confronted him already, however."

Everyone gasped in shock, Alex the most. "A...A colonel in the UFTW who appropriated war funds? That's...that's..."

Jade sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I didn't want to believe it either, but unfortunately, it's true. We found the colonel, confronted him, and he was executed privately this afternoon."

"Executed?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Right, executed. Stealing money from a military organization is an act punishable by death. It wasn't that he took a lot of money- we're funded by the governments of so many other worlds that money is not a problem for us. Rather, it's the fact that he dared to steal our war funds that affected us the most. We've worked hard the past three months, and hearing that someone is doing that sort of thing is unacceptable." Jade replied.

"Right..." Alex replied. He understood Jade's point of view, and now he was angry at the colonel who had been stealing the funds. He sighed to himself, knowing that no matter the intentions of a military, there was always some sort of corruption in it. While the UFTW had a lot of nice people, there was still some cruel people in it. He knew the same applied to the Pascans: while most of the ones he had seen had been nice, there were still the cruel people that tainted them.

General Yaciel looked at everyone, then at a piece of paper he held. "Anyway, now that we're all here, shall we get to the reason we came here?"

Kratos nodded. "Alright then, let's get started. Everyone, if you could, please look over here at the center of the table at this map of Pasca, or, to be more specific, Scollance. Anyway, glancing at this map, it's easy to tell that this continent will be a lot harder to conquer than Granvoise. You see, unlike Granvoise, a lot of Scollance is in a mountainous region, and the rest is mostly barren flatlands. Not only that, but they've pretty much got us dominated in sea warfare, as they have Helmos, the biggest port in all of Pasca.

Besides that, we have a bigger problem at hand. Unlike Granvoise, there are much less villages and cities in Granvoise, meaning that we will have a lot more trouble acquiring supplies. Most of the major towns and cities of Granvoise are to the north, in the snow region past the mountains. There are a lot of forts in Granvoise as well, so the enemy will be much stronger than before. We've had scout reports that some of the nearby forts are heavily armed, much more than the ones in Granvoise."

Alex glanced at the map. "Well, if that's the case, where do we start out?"

Kratos placed his index finger at a small dot on the map. "Right here. According to the map, there's a small town to the northwest of here called Calamos. There hasn't been much movement in that region, so we assume that the Pascans don't have many soldiers posted there. If that's the case, then that town is ideal for a starting point for us right now."

"Hmm...Calamos, huh. Alright, I agree with you, Kratos. I support Kratos' plan. Are there any objections?" General Halvun asked.

No one spoke up a word, so Kratos nodded. "It's decided then. Tommorow, we'll send out a force of 12,000 to try and conquer Calamos. We'll be migrating the rest of the military shortly after, so we need to be sure to contact the rest once we've conquered the town. That is all. You're all dismissed."

Alex and the rest nodded, and rose out of their chairs, headed back for their tents. When Alex was entering, he got a glimpse of General Yaciel's face, which looked very troubled.

"General Yaciel? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

General Yaciel stopped, surprised, and turned to Alex. "...Yes, actually, there is."

Alex looked confused. "What is it?"

"Well...something just doesn't feel right. According to that map, Calamos is the closest location to our campgrounds. We have no ground in Scollvoise yet, so we've been unable to attack. But still...it doesn't feel right. The Pascans know by now that the Big Bridge of Scollvoise has been taken by now, otherwise they would have recieved a letter about the battle. And if they know about the battle, they should know right now we're at our weakest point. So why haven't they attacked us from Calamos? If they did, they could easily defeat us. So why haven't they attacked?" General Yaciel answered.

Alex looked surprised, thinking hard about General Yaciel's logic. "Hmm...you have a point. That is strange indeed. Why wouldn't the Pascans attack us when we're at our weakest? Still, there could be several reasons for that that we don't know involving the military itself. For example, what if the Pascans in Scollance aren't prepared for battle yet?" 

"That is true, but I still can't get this feeling out of me. Either way, maybe we'll find out tommorow. Good night, General Terresca." General Yaciel replied.

"Good night." Alex replied. He headed off for his tent, entering it and lying down on the cot as he tried to get some sleep...

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_Pascan fortress of Besos, later that night..._

The dark fortress of Besos loomed over plains it sat on, its intimidating look enhanced by the night. The fortress was made out of a dark stone, surrounding by thick stone walls that no battering ram could ever hope to penetrate. The main castle itself was very tall, the spires seeming to pierce the moon in the middle of the night. All over the walls, soldiers walked back and forth, watching the land for anyone who would try to invade it. Several guard towers sat behind the walls, archers waiting there with their bows.

There were even more lookouts in the spires of the castle, all of them equipped with magically enhanced bows that would increase the length of time an arrow could fly in a straight path. There were several mages also watching from lower parts of the castle, prepared to cast at any time. Soldiers with swords, lances, and axes patrolled the halls, just in case there was someone who could incredibly manage to slip past the walls unnoticed and sneak into the castle, though the odds of that were basically a million to one.

In a room in the middle of the castle, Belladonna was lying down on her bed. She still had her armor and helm on, meaning that she was not ready to sleep yet. She stared at the ceiling, then glanced at the clock, which was reading 12:00. She then walked over to her windown and gazed outside, seeing the moon was directly above the castle. She then took a deep breath.

_Alright, this is it...it's the 14th of Mixis at last. Now's my chance. I'll sneak into the bottom of this castle and steal the Jade Key. I know by doing this, I'll be betraying Master Valvus and possibly be executed. However, if I do this, I'll be able to regain my memories very soon! That is an opportunity I can't miss! I need to know who I was before all of this! Who I was, who my family was, where I lived, what I did...I want to remember all of it! Having a fifteen year hole in my memory is too much to bear! I'll steal the key now!_

Belladonna then headed for the door. She shut it behind her, and walked calmly down the hallways, though she was shaking and scared on the inside. She passed by a group of soldiers who saluted her, and she saluted back. After about three minutes, she finally reached the staircase, and began walking down, passing through the floors quickly. Finally, she reached the ground floor. She then kept walking through the dark stone hallway, saluting soldiers who passed by. Finally, she reached the stairs leading to the basement, and was about to go down when she heard a voice.

"Excuse me! General Belladonna!" The voice exclaimed.

Belladonna gasped, slowly turning around. _Oh Avoli...don't tell me they found out about the plan!_

Belladonna turned around, and instead of facing a general or another high ranking officer, she instead saw a low ranked sergeant standing in front of her, holding a scroll.

"Is...is something wrong, soldier?" Belladonna asked in the calmest voice she could manage.

The soldier looked confused, then saluted. "For...forgive me for disturbing you so late at night, General!"

After hearing this, Belladonna calmed down, realizing he didn't know about the plan. "It's alright. Is there something you need?"

The soldier held out a scroll. "I came to deliver this to you. It's the latest scout report from our unit further out in Scollance. I was going to give it to you in the morning, but since you're already up, I'll give it to you now."

Belladonna nodded, and grabbed the scroll, opening it. It read:

_General Belladonna._

_This is Lieutenant Heiz from the scout unit investigating the UFTW's actions. From what we've observed, the UFTW are still at the campsite near the bridge, recovering from the battle. However, they've been regrouping and regaining their numbers, and from what we've seen, they look like their mobilizing now. There's no telling what they'll do, so keep Besos on high alert for the next couple of days. That is all._

_ Lieutenant Ozgon Heiz_

Belladonna rolled up the scroll, frowning behind her helm. She then turned to the soldier. "All right, thank you for the report. You're dismissed."

The soldier nodded, and walked away, continuing his patrol around the castle. When he was out of earshot, Belladonna took a deep breath, breathing in relief.

_Phew...that was _way _too close. I need to be more careful, and calm down a little bit. But still...the UFTW is mobilizing, huh? The Terresian Descender...he's there with them. He couldn't have died on the bridge, I just know it. He gave me that injury on my leg...I should probably avoid him in the next battle. I still haven't fully recovered, and I need to train a little bit more. Now, where was I? Oh, right, the Jade Key. I'd better hurry up and make sure nobody sees me down there._

Belladonna then turned back to the dark staircase. Making sure no one was watching, she walked down the stairs, trying to walk quietly so that her boots wouldn't echo down the hall. She finally reached the bottom, glancing around the hallway. The hallway was so dark that the only light avaliable was a torch about twenty feet to the right. Which, coincidentally, happened to be Belladonna's destination. Belladonna slowly walked down the hall, being careful not to wake up the nearby guards. When she reached the torch, she saw a room labeled **FOOD STORAGE**. Quickly, Belladonna opened the door, and quietly shut it.

Belladonna took a glimpse at the room she was in. The storage room, like the hallway, was barely lit, with only a single torch lighting up the room. The room was surrounded by crates and crates of food, as well as barrels containing drinking water. The first thing Belladonna noticed when she entered the room was that it was much colder than the hallways; the mages had probably cast an ice spell in the room in order to keep the food alive longer, as recent tests several years ago showed that food preserved in the cold tended to last longer and be healthier than food kept in normal temperatures.

Remembering Prophet's words, Belladonna looked around, only to groan when she realized that Prophet had never specified which wall was the right one. She ruled out the south wall pretty quickly, and the east wall would only lead towards the staircase, and Prophet had said that there would be a long hallway, so it couldn't be the east wall. Randomly, Belladonna decided to try out the north wall. She moved some of the crates around, and as quietly as possible, kicked the north wall seven times.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, Belladonna decided to try the west wall when suddenly, she heard the sound of shifting stone. She turned to the north wall, and gasped when she saw the stones on the north wall moving away, folding apart to reveal a secret passage. Belladonna walked over to the north wall, and walked through the now exposed hole in the wall, stepping into the passage.

The secret passage was a long hallway, about two hundred fifty feet long. There were some green lights coming from the ceilings, and unlike the rest of the castle, the hallway was made out of white stone. The hallway was warmer than the storage room, being about the same temperatures as the hallways outside. Turning around to make sure no one was following her, Belladonna began walking down the long hallway, her footsteps echoing in the silent hall, the metal of her boots clanging with each step.

After about two minutes, Belladonna finally reached the end of the hallway. As Prophet had told her, she had reached what appeared to be a dead end, the wall made of the same white stone that filled the rest of the hallway. Belladonna paused for a second, trying to remember Prophet's exact words. After about a minute, she looked towards the wall, and spoke.

"The gate to Avoli's blessing needs to be opened." Belladonna proclaimed.

As if on cue, the wall began shifting aside as she spoke, the stones moving away to reveal another passageway. Belladonna stepped back, and then entered the room, her eyes widening at what she saw.

The room she was in was made out of marble, the room nearly spotless with the exception of the dust gathering in it. The room was bathed by a dim white light coming from the ceiling, revealing all its features. The air was musty and stuffy, clearly meaning no one had been here in a while. The room was hot, causing Belladonna to sweat a little bit, opening her helm for a second so that she could wipe her brow clear of sweat. However, it was the center of the room that made it stand out.

In the center of the room was a marble pedestal, sitting there engulfed by the white light. On the pedestal itself was a marvelously crafted key. It was a light green color, which some people might mistake for as emerald, but a closer look revealed it was carved from jade. The handle looked like the handle of any ordinary key, as did the end of it, though it looked like a skeleton key. The key shined from the light, illuminating the room partially. Belladonna stared at it with amazement, knowing that only a master craftsman could have made a key from jade.

Belladonna looked behind her one last time, then turned back to the pedestal. She walked up to it, glanced at the key, and removed it from its place, putting it in a pouch on her waist.

That's when it happened.

Suddenly, a sound that was similar to a screeching alarm went off, and the white light started flashing red, and the passageway leading towards the storage room was sealed with steel bars, locking Belladonna in. A voice then rang out.

"ATTENTION ALL SOLDIERS! THE JADE KEY HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM ITS PLACE! THE THIEF IS PROBABLY LOCKED IN THE ROOM RIGHT NOW! ALL SOLDIERS, HEAD TO THE FOOD STORAGE IN THE BASEMENT TO INTERCEPT!" A man's voice exclaimed.

Belladonna gasped, filled with fear. _No...this is it...this it for me...I'm finished...I shouldn't have listened to that Prophet guy! If I hadn't, I wouldn't be in this mess! There's no way out..._

Suddenly, a white flash of light appeared, and Belladonna was surprised to see that the alarm had stopped and that the lights had stopped flashing, and instead, the room was just red. Belladonna looked around, and was surprised to see Prophet standing there.

"It's...it's you! Prophet! What's going on? Why did the sound stop?" Belladonna asked.

Prophet looked around. "There's no time to talk now. Quickly! In a few seconds, we will dissapear, and in our place will be a glowing red light. You must run into the light _immediately _when it appears! When you do, you should be back in your room. Quickly change your clothes so it looks like you were sleeping, then hide the Jade Key! You must do this as fast as you can! Do you understand?"

Belladonna nodded, confused. "Y...yes."

"Good! Now hurry!" Prophet shouted. He faded away, and a second later, the alarm started screeching again, and the lights started flickering. Belladonna saw a red light where Prophet was standing, and heard the quick footsteps of soldiers nearby. Quickly, she ran into the red light, and it surrounded her as she dissapeared from the room. The red light faded, and seconds later, the steel bars went back up...

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_Belladonna's room..._

Belladonna reappeared in her room, still hearing the screeching of the alarm around her. Remembering Prophet's instructions, she quickly shoved her pouch underneath her bed. She quickly removed her armor, and reached for her chest of clothes, starting to put her night clothes on. She was about to take her helm off, an act she had been always instructed to do last when switching into her night clothing and what she had been told to do first whenever changing into her armor, when a soldier burst into her room.

"General Belladonna!" The soldier shouted.

Belladonna gasped, and silently cursed to herself when she realized she had gasped out loud. "Y...y...yes, s...soldier?"

Suddenly, seeing Belladonna's helm on and seeing her night clothes on, the soldier got embarressed. "Oh, uh...erm...nevermind. I see you already know about it. I'll...I'll leave right now."

Belladonna sighed in relief as she realized that the soldier thought she was changing into her armor in response to the alarm and not her night clothes. "Just...just knock next time, okay?"

"R...right." The soldier replied, his face red now.

Just then, another soldier ran into the room. He also became slightly flushed at the sight of Belladonna, but quickly became serious. "General Belladonna! The thief who stole the Jade Key has disappeared from the room! We never even got a glance at the thief!"

Feigning shock, Belladonna replied as calmly as she could. "Tell all soldiers posted outside to start searching the fort and the outer walls! The thief must still be nearby!" 

"Understood, General Belladonna!" The soldier replied. He and the other soldier ran off, headed to spread the news.

Belladonna turned around, and took another deep breath, panting a few times, her body shaking.

_This time...this time was too close for comfort! One more second and I would have been caught down there! Well, in the end, I still got the Jade Key, and thanks to the two soldiers that ran in, I now have an alibi. No one will ever suspect me. Not even the soldier who gave me the message. Now all I have to do is wait a few days, then I'll learn the truth of my past..._

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_The next morning, UFTW camp..._

Alex was inside his tent, sitting on his cot. He had put on his armor, but his helm was currently off, his light brown hair visible. Next to him on the cot was a simple, brown leathered journal, something written in it. Like his journal recording his meetings with Prophet, Alex had started another journal a few days after he was reborn. He decided to himself that when the time came for him to disappear, he would leave the journal behind as "a testament that Alex Terresca actually existed", though he didn't want his friends reading it so that they would move on with their lives.

Alex sighed, closed the journal up, and placed it in his vacuum-space sphere. He grabbed his helm, fitted it on, and grabbed his sword, placing it on the left side of his hip as always. Alex then headed to the falds of the tent, feeling cold air against his face that came from outside. He pushed aside the falds and walked out, seeing the usual sight of soldiers moving around. The sky was dark this morning, filled with light grey clouds, though they weren't rain clouds. Alex then started walking off towards the assembly area.

Alex then reached the area after about two minutes, and saw about 4,000 soldiers already there. Walking up to the front of the line, Alex noticed several Ad Libitum members traveling with the unit. They were Chester, Arche, Rutee, Veigue, and Eugene. General Yaciel was also standing in the front lines, watching all of the soldiers as they gathered. Unlike the last several battles, the UFTW's horses weren't ready yet, so the unit didn't have any horses avaliable, deciding they needed to make the trip on foot.

Alex walked up next to General Yaciel, saluting. "Good morning, General Yaciel."

"Good morning as well, General Terresca." General Yaciel replied, saluting back.

Alex noticed that General Yaciel's eyes still looked troubled. "Are you still feeling uneasy?"

General Yaciel nodded. "Yeah...I thought maybe I was just being paranoid and that the feeling would dissapear in the morning. But it hasn't. Something's not right...this feeling is like a sixth sense of mine. Whenever I feel this way, usually something bad happens. And my instincts rarely fail me, so there has to be something wrong?"

"Are...are you sure about that? You can't be sure your instincts are always right." Alex replied, silently feeling a little worried.

A cynical smirk appeared on General Yaciel's face, though Alex saw it was a pained smile. "You're right, but trust me...back in my world, I had this same feeling one time, and my allies thought I was being a little paranoid as well. You know what happened next? A few hours later, our campground was ambushed by enemy soldiers. My friends were killed...and I was captured and locked in a dungeon. Fortunately, the military I was with captured the dungeon a few days later, and I was freed by them. Yes, General Terresca, I have high confidence in my instincts."

Alex gasped in surprise, and General Yaciel turned back to the soldiers, observing them in silence. Alex then looked to the ground, feeling a little guilty for some reason.

_General Yaciel...I know you weren't being rude on purpose just now. If...if I had know about his past, I wouldn't have questioned his instincts. It must have been painful for you...much more painful for you than me when Genis, Jay, Cless, and Harold were captured by the UFTW. While they all survived, you had to live with the fact that your comrades died. I...I never want to know what it's like...to lose so many friends at once. Forgive me, General Yaciel..._

Alex shook off these feelings as he continued to face the unit, a lot of them having nervous faces. With some of them having never experienced battle before, and some of the having been through the battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise, Alex didn't blame them. He too, felt a little shaken after the bloodshed and violence that had occurred in the last battle. He had never fought that long before, and had never seen that many people die in one battle. Both sides were just fighting to the death, trying to survive.

Half an hour later, the 12,000 soldiers had gathered at the assembly site, all waiting for their orders. Seeing that they were ready, General Yaciel walked up to the head of the crowd. Everyone then grew silent, waiting for him to speak. Trying to hide the uneasiness that still thrived in his eyes, General Yaciel cleared his throat, and began speaking.

"Alright, everyone. Before we head out, I'll go through a quick briefing with all of you. Our target today is a town to the north of here called Calamos. We have no actual scout reports, as our scouts have been busy lately in the west. However, from what we can tell, the town isn't heavily guarded, so we should be able to take it easily. When we capture the town, we will be using it as a temporary home base until we can get a bigger city or fort under our control. We will be using simple siege tactics to take over the city. Now that that's out of the way, let's march!"

All of the soldiers let out a war cry, and they all began turning towards the north, marching forward. However, Alex and General Yaciel still were worried, unable to purge the feeling from their systems...

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_Six hours later..._

The UFTW were still marching on. They were tired, having only taken one break during the entire march, but they were now focusing on the battle that would soon come, as according to their calculations, they were just a mile short of Calamos. All of the Ad Libitum members had their weapons ready, prepared for anything that came at them. The worried feeling that Alex and General Yaciel were experiencing had only gotten worse during the trip the closer they got to Calamos, to the point where the two had their hands on their weapons, ready.

Alex suddenly noticed something in the distance. "General Yaciel, I think I've spotted Calamos!"

General Yaciel suddenly looked up, and looked at what Alex was looking at. It was a small speck in the distance, unusual considering it was only a mile away, but it was very wide, clearly the length of an average town. The buildings were almost invisible, as Alex couldn't see any of them.

"There's no mistaking it. That's it." General Yaciel replied. "Soldiers! Calamos is now visible! Get ready for battle!"

All of the soldiers then readied their weapons, prepared to face the enemy. As they got closer and closer though, the feeling that something was wrong only got worse for Alex as he saw a lack of activity coming from the city. He took a glance at General Yaciel's eyes, and they seemed to agree with Alex's, both looking in concern. Alex suddenly raised his arm up, signaling the rest of the army to stop, much to their confusion.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Eugene asked.

Alex turned to Eugene. "Eugene...can I have your binoculars for a minute?"

"The binoculars? Sure." Eugene replied. He reached into his vacuum-space sphere, and procured his pair of binoculars, handing them to Alex. Alex thanked him, then placed the binoculars, looking at Calamos. He increased the magnification, and got it to maximum view. When he got a good look at the town, Alex suddenly gasped in shock, dropping the binoculars.

"General Terresca! What's wrong?" General Yaciel asked.

Alex turned around, his eyes wide and horrified, his mouth agape. "We...we were...right...General...Yaciel. The town...the town...it's in ruins!"

Everyone gasped at this, General Yaciel's eyes widening. "What the...what...what...Soldiers! Hurry! We must run to the town!"

All of the soldiers broke out of their daze, and just nodded, everyone running as fast as they could. Alex panted, barely remembering to pick up the binoculars as he rushed towards the town. He didn't seem to get tired at all, his body moving by itself, as he was only focused on getting to the town as fast as he could. After about five minutes, the soldiers finally reached the entrance to the town, all of them panting, but their eyes wide as they stared in shock.

"My...my God...what happened here?" General Yaciel muttered, horrified.

The entire town, if it could even be called a town, was in complete and utter ruin. All around the soldiers as far as the eye could see were ruins of destroyed buildings. Ashes and burnt wood stood all over the city, some parts of the wood marked with what appeared to be blast marks, indicating that they were caused by a spell, probably Burn Strike from the looks of it. What shocked the soldiers the most was that on the ground and some of the would, dried splashes of blood could be seen, caused by a sword, and a pretty powerful one by the looks of it. At the front of the town, a simple gray tombstone stood.

"What the...what the hell is this?" Chester spoke out. His eyes were filled with absolute terror, horrible memories flashing by his eyes, remembering some clearly traumatic event.

Arche was absolutely speechless, merely staring at the ruins in shock.

"How...how awful..." Rutee stuttered out, horrified as well.

Veigue also stared at the ruins with a shocked glance. "Who...who could have done this?"

Eugene also looked surprised, but he then examined the burnt wood and ash closely, staring at the blood on the ground. "These ruins...the ash is old, the wood is very dry, and the blood is very old...this town has been like this for a while. Years, probably."

"Years? What do you mean, Eugene?" Veigue asked.

Suddenly, Alex heard footsteps, drawing his sword. "Everyone! I hear something!"

Upon hearing this, everyone grew silent, drawing their weapons as the footsteps grew louder. Suddenly, a figure became visible, and Alex lowered his sword when he saw it was just an old woman. When she saw the UFTW, she gasped in shock and fear, and began running away.

Alex started chasing her. "Wait! Come back!"

The old woman kept running, but she quickly ran out of breath. She then looked in horror as Alex caught up to her. "NO! Please, don't kill me! I'm begging you, don't kill me!"

"I promise you, I'm not going to kill you! I just want to ask you something!" Alex quickly replied.

The old woman caught her breath, and looked into Alex's eyes. "Your eyes...I can see that they are filled with honesty. Then you really won't kill me."

Alex shook his head, and the rest of the UFTW walked up behind him as he spoke. "No, I won't. I just want to ask you a question. What happened to this town? Why has it been destroyed, and why are you here?"

Upon hearing these words, the old woman's face fell. "I see...you don't know, then. Very well. This town was destroyed about two years ago. The destruction of this town was important for the rest of Pasca, you see. At that time, a lone warrior came to this town. According...according to some of the survivors I met, this person used magic and a sword to...to...destroy the town and everyone who lived in it. Everyone...everyone was killed. All the men, all of the women...and all of the children. This lone warrior killed all of them. The people in this town had been forced to work in nearby mana plants for low wage by corrupt lords living here."

Everyone gasped. Alex did the same, but continued to press the old woman. "A...a lone warrior with magic and a sword?"

"Yes. It was truly awful. So many people here died here, many of them innocent. Sure, the mana lords had been squandering its energy by overworking the people, but that didn't mean that everyone in the town had to die for it! And this was only the beginning. Soon after this, many more people died, until there was none left. Why...why did this have to happen!? Why?! It's all that lone warrior's fault! That...that Descender...Our own Descender, the Pascan Descender, killed everyone she could here! It's all her fault!"

Upon hearing this, Alex's heart seemed to stop, his blood turning cold as he gasped. Chester, Arche, Rutee, and Eugene all gasped as well, although everyone else looked confused.

"Are...are...are...are...are you...you...saying that...that...that...the Pa...Pascan...De...De...De...Descen...der...ki...ki...killed...every...one...here?" Alex gasped out, his voice a bit high pitched.

The old woman nodded. "Yes. According to other people I met, her name was Kanonno. She was truly heartless...she killed everyone in Pasca! So what if Pasca had been going through war for the past 50 years and that we had been wasting our mana! She didn't need to kill everyone in Pasca for it! If I ever met that girl, I would like to strangle her personally!"

Seeing that Alex was too shocked to talk, General Yaciel turned to the old woman. "Why do you have such a heavy grudge on her? Judging from the way you're talking, it sounds like you have something personal against her."

"Yes...that girl, Kanonno...when she destroyed this town, she...she killed my son, daughter-in-law, and my three grandchildren. All of them, gone, just like that. When Pasca was restored two years ago, nearly everyone who was killed by her returned from the dead, but...no one from here did. That's all...all I have to say. If you'll excuse me...I'll be leaving now." The old woman finished, tears in her eyes. She turned around, and headed for the outskirts, leaving the city.

Alex was just staring into space, his eyes wide and horrified, tears welling up. His whole body was shaking, and he seemed to be letting out some choked sobs. He fell to the ground on his knees, staring directly at a bloodstain. He couldn't hold it any longer, and started crying out loud, ranting.

"No...no...it's not true...it's not true...it's not true...please...please...please, someone...someone tell me this is all a bad dream...it's a dream, right? It's a dream...I'll be waking up any minute now, right...right...right? RIGHT?! IT'S NOT TRUE! SOMEONE TELL ME THIS IS NOT TRUE! ANYONE!? ANYONE!? IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S NOT TRUE!" Alex screamed, bursting into heavy sobs. Chester, Arche, and Rutee, while feeling the same, couldn't help but feel sympathy him, Eugen looking at him sadly.

_It...it can't be true, right? This is a dream, right? None of this is true. Let me wake up. Let me wake up. This is all a bad dream. I'll be waking up soon. Let me wake up. Let me wake up. LET ME WAKE UP! THIS CAN'T...can't be...true...right?_

_No...no! I've got to face it. THIS IS TRUE! Kanonno...why...why...why...? Why?! Why did you...why did you kill so many innocent people? When I first heard you did it, I didn't think much of it, but now that I've seen the results with my own eyes, I can't believe it! You killed children, Kanonno? I can't believe it! You love children! Even after you regained your true memories back in Terresia, you told me one of your dreams was to have a child of your own! Was it a way for you to hide from your sin? You must have known...you hated yourself..._

_Kanonno...no, maybe it wasn't entirely a way to hide from your sin. I could see it in your eyes then, and when you worked at the orphanage in Doplund. You do love children. But was it still a way for you to atone in some way? You did hate yourself...you regretted your own sin of killing everyone in Pasca. You knew then that if you could, you would atone for your mistake, and try to find a better way. This...all I see around me...it's pure awful! I still can't believe you did all of this!_

_But I still believe in you. From your actions after you regained your memory, I can tell you truly did regret this action...you just hid your feelings about it from me so that I wouldn't be distracted while trying to save Terresia. You must have spent so much time grieving alone. Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you through the pain! But none of that matters. Kanonno is gone, and she's never coming back. Still...too much...too much...too much was left unsaid between us...Kanonno..._

Alex continued to sob uncontrollably while kneeling on the ground, his friends watching with sadness...

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**Hey, how was it! A very big downer, I know, but this was actually one of the first chapters I had planned out. You needed to see **_**some **_**effects of what Kanonno did to Pasca, after all. Any way, time for General Halvun and General Yaciel's profiles!**

**General Halvun: A general from a foreign world. Has many years of experience in war, and is very friendly and serious.**

**Age: 50. Hair color: Grey-blonde. Eye color: Green. Weapon: Sword.**

**Voice actor: Lex Lang. Seiyu: Jurota Kosugi**

**  
Name origin: I picked out a name that started with an "H" as a tribute to Captain Henken from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (who shares the same seiyu with General Halvun)**

**General Yaciel: Another foreign general. Is good natured, but can sometimes be a little impatient and snappy.**

**Age: 33. Hair color: Red-brown. Eye color: Brown. Weapon: Sword/**

**  
Voice actor: Doug Erholtz. Seiyu: Toshiyuki Morikawa.**

**IN TWO MORE CHAPTERS, THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I NEED SOME MORE REVIEWS! **


	27. Chapter 26: Strong Fort Vulnerable Heart

**Hello there! I, Final Poke Mario Fan, am back, and I'm here with a new chapter! Let's see it now!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 26: Strong Fort, Vurnable Heart

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_Fort Besos, a day after the discovery of Calamos..._

Belladonna was sitting on her bed in the castle at Besos, staring out the window. The sun was rising in the distance, the sky a dark blue color as the night started fading away. She then looked around twice, and then went under her bed, taking out a leather brown sack, which had something in it. Making sure one more time no one was looking, she opened the sack, pulling out a green key. She sighed in relief, and stared at the key for a minute. She then sighed, and took the pouch and walked with the key over to her chest of drawers.

To Belladonna's surprise, she felt something odd coming from the key, and looked at it. The key was right next to the lock on the chest, and all of the sudden, the end of the key changed shape, surprising Belladonna. Seeing the shape of the key looked familiar, Belladonna then suddenly got an idea. Slowly, she took the Jade Key, and placed it in the lock. Suprisingly, the key fit perfectly into the lock, and Belladonna turned it, opening the chest of drawers. She closed the chest, and stared at the Jade Key in amazement.

_Incredible! No wonder that key was so heavily guarded! This key...it's a magical skeleton key! Whenever you put it next to a lock, it automatically changes its shape to match the shape of the lock! It's the ultimate key! I can see why that Prophet guy would want it...wait. Why does Prophet want it? Is he trying to unlock something? I mean, if it's just a lock, there should be an actual key for the lock he wants to open, right? So why does he need the key if he can just get the other key?_

Suddenly, there was a knock on Belladonna's door. Panicking, she quickly shoved the Jade Key in the sack, tied it up quickly, then hid it under the bed. "E...enter."

The door then opened, revealing a scout, who saluted. "General Belladonna, I'm here to tell you about our latest report."

Belladonna looked at the scout, and nodded, sitting down on her bed. "What is it?"

"According to our observations, the UFTW ready to launch an assault on us. Their cavalry has been revived, and they are headed for this castle as we speak. However, they are not at their full strength, and are weak when it comes to artillery. However, they have a large group of mages, and their cavalry is pretty well trained. We have confirmed that the UFTW's leader will be leading this battle, accompanied by two other generals." The scout replied.

"Who are these two generals?" Belladonna asked, curious.

The scout looked at his report. "Lieutenant General Jade Curtiss, and Brigadier General Alex Terresca."

_I knew it. The Terresian Descender is going to participate in this battle. _"I see...thank you, scout. I need you to go to General Dezon in the castle and tell him that I want to set up a strategy meeting regarding the upcoming battle with him at 1200 hours. Is that clear?" Belladonna ordered.

"Yes, General Belladonna!" The scout replied, saluting. He turned around, and then ran off. Belladonna sighed, closing the door. She then looked under the bed once again, and saw the sack containing the Jade Key. She took the sack, and opened it, placing the Jade Key in another pouch that was always around her waist, making sure to hide it carefully. She then sighed, and sat back down on her bed. She gazed back at the rising sun once again, and lay back on her bed.

_Terresian Descender...while I won't fight you just yet, be prepared. I'll be ready to fight you when the time is right. I can feel it. The end to our battles is coming soon..._

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_Noon, UFTW camp, halfway towards Besos..._

The camp was a little bit chaotic, having only stopped a few minutes ago. The horses were a little uneasy, not being used to the Scollance environment, but they were slowly adjusting. Soldiers were running back and forth to get things set up before they went on a break. Several of the soldiers were also setting up tables where they would eat lunch soon. Everyone else was just doing there own thing, though a lot of soldiers were curious when they saw several of the UFTW soldiers gathered around General Terresca's tent...

Alex was sitting down on the cot of his tent, completely silent. His eyes were focused on the ground, heavy bags under them, the eyes blinking rapidly. He looked a bit thin, his uncontent stomach loudly roaring. He didn't seem to notice anyone as he just stared outside the tent. Senel watched Alex in the tent, and turned around to face the Ad Libitum members and Nomvar outside the tent.

Senel shook his head. "It's no good. He's still quiet."

Eugene sighed. "I see. He's still like this, huh..."

"He was silent last night at dinner, too. I don't even think he ate that much. He didn't get any sleep, either, judging by his eyes." Senel added.

"I don't understand, though. Why is Alex so upset about Calamos again? I mean, sure, a destroyed village is definately a horrible thing, no question about that. But to send Alex into a state like this?" Nomvar asked.

"You wouldn't understand, Nomvar, as you weren't with him in his days in Terresia. The Pascan Descender, Kanonno, was in Terresia during the Gilgulim Crisis. Alex and her were really close...close enough to be brother and sister. No...I think maybe a small bit further then that. You should have seen them together. When Alex wasn't doing Ad Libitum related work, he would spend a lot of time with her. Sure, he hung out with us a lot to, but more her than the rest of us." Chester explained, a grim look on his face.

"Yeah...I can understand how Alex is feeling. Kanonno was such a good person...I still can't believe she could have slaughtered so many innocent people just like that!" Nanaly added.

Rutee frowned, glancing downwards. "No wonder she was so distant towards others after her memory came back...she probably felt she didn't deserve to have friends like us after all that she did...I pity both of them."

"Poor Alex..." Colette remarked.

"...He needs to get over it." Jay remarked.

Everyone looked at Jay, shocked at his statement, Lloyd growing angry. "Jay! How could you say something like that?! Alex just learned that Kanonno killed everyone in Calamos! You want him to 'get over it' only a day after he learned about it?!"

"Yes." Jay replied.

Lloyd looked ready to kill Jay. "You...you cruel..."

"Calm down, Lloyd. Think about it for a second. Tommorow, we're about to enter another tough battle. If Alex keeps getting caught up in his thoughts like this during the battle, he'll be killed. I can understand that Alex is upset his friend killed thousands of civilians. But if this friend of his is truly gone, then he's locked in the past. People like that never get over their grief. Now, do you understand, Lloyd? If we don't want Alex dead, we'd better snap him out of it." Jay calmly replied, his expression never changing.

Lloyd lowered his head, frowning. "You're...you're right, Jay. I...I don't want Alex to die. But still...I don't think we can just tell him to forget about Kanonno!"

Jay nodded. "That's right. Therefore, we have to plan this carefully. We need to figure out what to say to him that won't hurt his feelings at the same time."

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Back in the tent, Alex continued to stare at the ground aimlessly. His hair was messy, a sign that Alex had neglected himself recently. Instead of his armor, Alex was wearing his night clothes, his vacuum-space sphere sitting on the ground of the tent, its light dim. The cot Alex sat on was disheveled, looking very messy, another sign he did not sleep last night. Alex kept staring downwards when suddenly, a white flash of light shone for a second, getting Alex's full attention. When he looked up, he saw Prophet standing right in front of him, arms crossed.

"Pr...Prophet! It's you! I haven't seen you in a month and a half! Where have you been all this time?! And...what happened to you?" Alex asked, forgetting about Kanonno for a second.

Prophet gazed at Alex. "We are sorry for our abscence, Alex. We simply had nothing new to inform you about. But now, we have come to put an end to what you are doing. We were going to tell you of something, but first, we must stop this behavior from you once again."

"Behavior? Once again? What are you talking about, Prophet?" Alex asked, momentarily confused.

Prophet sighed. "Don't play dumb with us, Alex. We are talking about your attitude for the past two days. You have to stop moping right now, or else you'll be dead."

Alex grew angry, putting his hands into fists. "What would you know, Prophet? What gives you the right to tell me to stop moping? Who the hell do you think you are?! Judging from the way you talk, you already know about Calamos. To you, that may have been a town destroyed by the Pascan Descender, but to me, that was a town filled with innocents that were murdered by my best friend! What gives you the right?! You didn't know Kanonno at all! All you see her as is the Pascan Descender, but to me, I saw her as a wonderful person!

You merely treat Kanonno and the other Descenders as tools! Hell, look at what you've done to me! Heh...heh...ha ha ha ha ha! I'm such an idiot. I'm such a goddamn idiot! All this time, you've been manipulating me from the start! You've told me what to do, made me do things, and treat me as your own puppet! Look at how you referred to Mormo! All this time, you have treated Mormo as not an individual, but merely a motive for revenge! You talk about him as if he's only a reason for me wanting to kill Tribilin!

Why didn't I realize it before? This is all your fault! Just who the hell are you, anyway? All you are is a wandering ghost who has treated Descenders like pure crap under the disguise of 'helping' them. Things have gone worse since I met you! I wish I'd never met you! I wish I were still in Terresia right now! I wish I'd never come to Pasca, never gone to war, never having to discover Calamos! The war...heh heh heh...the war is all your fault, Prophet. You were the one who told me to tell everyone to go to war. What did that result in? The deaths of millions! This is all your fault! I HATE YOU!"

Suddenly, Prophet did something Alex would have never thought he would do.

He cast Spread on him, the water engulfing Alex as Prophet used his powers to dunk Alex in the water, pulling him out seconds later.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! You can't solve anything from blaming everything on us! Tell me: if we had never met you, where would you...no, _everyone _in Terresia be right now?!" Prophet exclaimed, anger in his voices.

Alex, kneeling on the ground, suddenly stopped and thought about that. A horrible glance filled his eyes as he gasped, mouth agape.

"That's right, Alex. Everyone on Terresia would be dead right now if you had never met us. We were the ones who warned you about the Pascan invasion. If it weren't for that, Pasca would surely have taken over Terresia and killed everyone on it! Don't you understand?! If it weren't for us, Valvus would have suceeded in his plans a long time ago!" Prophet remarked.

Alex stared silently on the ground, but Prophet didn't let up. "If we weren't here, you would most likely have died in Rasgon, as you were unable to let go of the past. In fact, we find this situation very similar to Rasgon. If it weren't for us, Genis, Cless, Jay, and Harold would have been killed at Granvoise Castle, and you would have most likely lost the battle. If it weren't for us, you would never have learned the strategy that preserved most of your army in the crossing to Fort Sudjulement. If it weren't for us, you would never have gotten to the Hall of Descenders and learned about the six artifacts. If it weren't for us, you would never have been able to fight in the battles for Shiroc and Granvoise Castle."

Prophet continued. "As for the Descenders...we see them as anything but tools. Let us ask you something, Alex. What benefit do I gain from giving you advice? None. Who gains the benefit? You do, as well as the rest of the UFTW in essence. We see Mormo as your dear friend, not as a motive. We understand that you two were like brothers, and that his death left you grief-stricken. Mormo was truly a good friend, and we talk about him like that because we know that Tribilin must not be allowed to get away with that horrible act.

And Kanonno...we understand her very well. She was a kind person who truly was selfless. Her massacre of Pasca was purely on instinct, and it's clear that she regretted that choice deeply, and acted the way she did because she wanted to do everything she could to make up for that. She may have done terrible things after that as well, but that's only because she believed that she could make up for her crimes that way. What she wanted more than anything...was a second chance, and to be forgiven. She was a great person who was burdened down by her one mistake and lived the rest of her life trying to repent for that.

A person like that is one of the strongest kind of people that can exist. Now, back to you, Alex. You may be sitting here in shock and disbelief of what Kanonno did. But tell us, do you think she would want you to be like this? Regretting over this? She wanted people to forgive her for what she had done. Seeing you act like this from her actions...what do you think her response would be? Our guess is that she would be heart-broken and want you to forgive her for that. What about you?"

Alex sat there, tears starting to well up. _Kanonno...she destroyed worlds in hope that it would bring back her world and everyone who lived on it. She was willing to die to bring back her world. Her actions after that...she did everything..._everything..._after the Pascan massacre just so that she could erase her own mistake and be repented. Even with her amnesia, her huge desire to help people probably was a unconscious stimulus to repent for her actions...No. She would not want to see people thinking about her mistakes..._

Alex stood, up, tears flowing down his cheeks, and crashed to the ground, breaking down into heavy sobs. "No...no! Kanonno would not want this! Pro...Prophet...forgive me...forgive me! I said...I said such horrible things to you...when you're really the one who deserves the credit! You're like a saint compared to me...it was you who saved all of Terresia. Without you...we would all have died a long time ago! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please...please forgive me, Prophet...I'm so horrible!"

Prophet smiled behind his mask. "Of course, Alex. We forgive you. We know you were under a lot of stress, but we had to get rid of it. Do you understand now? Moping around never solves anything. All it does is create a feeling that threatens to crush you."

Alex nodded. "Y...yes, I understand now. I must no longer be trapped in my own world anymore. Rather, I must consider the feelings of others before I go off and do something stupid again. Thank you, Prophet."

"Good. Remember, for the siege tommorow, you must use catapults and battering rams if you are to achieve victory tommorow. Besos is a heavily guarded fortress, and without these two weapons, you will not win the battle tommorow. The walls are also highly resistant to spells. That's all, Alex. We believe we shall see you again very soon." Prophet replied. He then faded away, and time flowed normally again.

Alex then looked around, wiping his tears away. He looked at his vacuum-space sphere, and grabbed it, going through it until he found his armor and sword. He released all of it, and then changed from his night clothes to his armor. He finally slipped his helm on and sheathed his sword, smiling to himself. He heard voices outside, the voices of his friends in Ad Libitum. Alex then headed for the falds of the tent, pushing them aside and surprising everyone as he walked outside, all of them staring at him.

"A...Alex? Why are you..." Lloyd started.

Alex shook his head. "Don't worry, everything's fine. I'm alright now. I'm sorry to have made you all worry, but rest assured, I'm good to go now."

Everyone looked relieved at this, happy that their friend was back to normal. Suddenly, Alex's stomach growled. "Hmm...I could use some food now. I'm going off to eat now, if you don't mind."

Everyone nodded, Alex walking away towards the tables...

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_An hour later..._

Alex was now sitting inside the strategy tent in the middle of the tent. Sitting with him were Kratos, Jade, Eugene, General Halvun, General Yaciel, Jay, Nomvar, and Senza. They were gathered around a round wooden table, several maps sitting in front of everyone. A few candles lit the room as they dark tent blocked out the winter light.

When Alex sat down, General Yaciel gave a rare smile to him. "Good to see you up and running again, General Terresca."

Alex nodded, smiling back. "Thanks, General Yaciel. I'm sorry for what happened, I..."

"There's no need to apologize, General Terresca. It's completely understandable that you acted that way. Just be a little more careful in the future, alright?" General Halvun replied.

"Will do." Alex answered. He had always liked General Halvun. No matter what happened, General Halvun had always seemed to have been there to say something positive. He had never once acted rude, and was always polite to everyone. _A true image of a General_, Alex thought.

Kratos cleared his throat, everyone turning towards him. "Alright, now that we're all here, let's begin the strategy meeting. As we all know, we will be attacking the fortress of Besos in the morning. Scout reports have claimed that this fortress is the most defended fortress we've ever seen our campaign, almost as powerful as Castle Arcos' defenses. Also, this is the biggest fortress we have ever seen so far, though it's barely visible. The only real part visible is the main castle, as the walls are _very _tall."

"How tall?" Senza asked.

Kratos looked down at the paper. "Well, obviously we don't have the exact amount, but according to them, the walls are 100 yards tall, plus they're made of high-quality stone."

Groans broke out in the room upon hearing this. "Moving on, regarding the defense of the fort, our scouts have spotted several thousand archers posted on the outer walls, as well as several guard towers on the walls. Unfortunately, that's all we know. We know there is definately more defenses, but the walls were so high that they couldn't see anything else."

"Any estimate on the enemies' number?" General Yaciel asked.

Kratos frowned. "Not really, but judging by the size of the fort, we believe there are at least twenty thousand in there. Most of them, however, are probably ranged warriors, since the castle's defenses are so powerful."

Remembering Prophet's words, Alex suddenly got an idea, and turned to Nomvar. "Nomvar...do the Green Blades still have those catapults?"

"The catapults? Yeah...their with our unit in Granvoise Castle. Unfortunately, we couldn't bring them over because we didn't have time to bring them over while we were recovering from the battle for the Big Bridge of Scollvoise." Nomvar replied.

Alex smiled. "Perfect. I'll go get them now."

"Huh? But Granvoise Castle is at least two days away! You can't go and get them here in time for the battle, right?" Senza answered, confused.

"Wrong. If you forgot, I have the power to teleport. I can just go teleport now to Granvoise Castle, inform the Green Blades, and have them back here in about two hours. With the catapults, taking over Besos should be easier." Alex explained.

Jade glanced over at Alex. "That's true. We don't really have many siege weapons avaliable to us, so catapults would definately come in handy. Very well, General Terresca. I agree with your plan. All of those in favor raise their hands."

As usual, the vote was unanimous. Nomvar turned to Alex. "Alright Alex, listen up. When you get to Granvoise Castle, ask for a man named Eves. He's my third in command after Senza, and is currently in charge of the Green Blades in the castle. Go to him and request for the catapults, but be sure to explain the plan to him. Got it?"

"Got it." Alex replied.

Kratos nodded. "Well then, General Terresca, you may go ahead. We will do the meeting without you, but we'll readjust the strategy to accomodate for the catapults. We'll stay here, so don't worry about the camp moving."

Alex nodded, and closed his eyes. He pictured Granvoise Castle in front of his eyes, and searched his body for the teleportation mana. He found it, and the energy went flowing through his arm. Alex then released the energy, and opened his eyes, the portal appearing in front of him. He walked in, and the portal started shrinking, disappearing completely...

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_Granvoise Castle..._

Alex reappeared outside of the Castle, the portal disappearing behind him. He saw the majestic castle in front of him, and began walking towards it. Some wary archers spotted him and got their bows ready, but when they saw who he was, they lowered their bows and watched him pass. Alex walked towards the gates, which were opened for him by soldiers standing on the walls. He entered the gate, and soldiers who spotted him immediately saluted him, Alex saluting back. He then walked through the main hall, when a colonel walked up to him.

"General Terresca! What brings you back here?" The colonel asked.

"Colonel, do you know where I could find the Green Blades?" Alex asked.

The colonel thought for a second before looking up. "Yes, I do. Most of them are in the mess hall right now. They've changed to green colored armor, so you should be able to see them quickly."

Alex nodded. "Thank you, colonel."

He then took a left from the main hall, headed towards the dining hall. When he entered, he saw thousands of soldiers gathered around tables, all of them eating or drinking, most of them talking to someone else. Alex scanned the hallway, and saw a table filled with soldiers wearing green armor. Alex then headed over their, saluting back to the soldiers that recognized him. When he reached the table, one of the men looked up at him.

"O...Oh! General Terresca! So good to see you again! But...why are you here? I thought you were with the rest of the army in Scollance!" The man exclaimed.

Alex looked around the table. "I'm here on war related buisiness. Which one of you is Eves?"

The man looked around, and pointed at a blond haired man who was speaking to another Green Blade. "He's right there."

"Thank you." Alex replied. He then walked around the table, and reached Eves, tapping him by the shoulder, who looked up in surprise.

"You're Eves, right?" Alex asked.

Eves nodded. "That would be me, General Terresca. Do you need something?"

"Actually...I have something important to talk to you and the rest of the Green Blades about." Alex replied.

Eves looked confused. "What?"

"Well..."

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_A few minutes later..._

Eves frowned, his hand on his chin. "I see...so you need us to get catapults in order to help take over the fortress of Besos?"

Alex nodded. "Can it be done?"

"Well...yeah. We have about fifty catapults ready to use right now. They're hard to move, though...if you gave me two hours, I could have them ready outside." Eves replied.

Alex smiled. "Good. Inform your men of this, and tell them to get their stuff. They'll be joining us for the assault. Is that clear?"

"Yes, General Terresca." Eves replied. He got out of his seat, and started talking to the rest of the Green Blades, Alex watching...

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_Lavard, six hours later..._

In the dining room, Valvus was sitting down at the head of the table, enjoying himself to some steak. Around him sat his advisors, scholars, and the Silver Knights. He then gazed over to the right, where a blue light viewer that had been conjured up by Darius. Darius was currently reading a report by archaeologists that had been commissioned to investigate the northern polar icecap in search for the last artifact Valvus needed. As Darius read the report, Valvus suddenly looked at him in shock.

"WHAT?! What do you mean, only four members of the archaeologic team are still alive?" Valvus asked, everyone at the table suddenly stopping to listen in. He knew that it was almost winter, but the archaeologists were well prepared to survive cold environments.

Darius looked shocked as well, but he continued to read the report. "A...according to the survivors of the archaeologic team, they managed to get through the deep part of the icecap, but when the reached a large icicle, they claimed that the other men looked...afraid of something. The four survivors weren't as close to the icicle as the others, though. Suddenly, they claim that...a light of sorts suddenly appeared, and that the men just evaporated right in front of their eyes! There was nothing left of them. They were so shocked that they ran back to camp."

Valvus fell back in his chair, deeply disturbed by this. "How...how can this be? There's nothing we know of that could have caused it...and there is no light spell in existence that can just make someone evaporate just like that...I think that there is something else at work here."

Darius nodded. "The men seem to think so. They looked traumatized from the experience itself. They told me that the place is cursed, and that they want to leave immediately. What should I tell them?"

"...At this point, there's no more reason to keep them there. What happened there is something out of our hands. Darius. Inform the archaeologists that they may leave the icecap. Tell them to sail to Helmos, and when they arrive, they are to undergo mental therapy. Understood? I will not risk an entire archaeologic group dying for something that may not even be there." Valvus replied, sighing.

"Understood." Darius replied. He bowed, and the blue light viewer dissapeared.

Valvus sunk even deeper into his chair. _This is not good. The icecap has turned out to be a dead end all this time, plus the Jade Key was just stolen days ago. If the UFTW get their hands on that key, then we're in big trouble. The Emerald Safe in Scaros contains the countermeasure to the three artifacts...if they get that, our plans will be in danger...wait a minute...unless...of course! Why didn't I think of this earlier! I _do _have a way to have a bit of insurance just in case of an emergency! I've got to head to the Ruins of Jezid right away!_

Valvus then quickly finished his steak, and rose from the table, running off to the Ruins of Jezid...

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_That night, UFTW campground..._

Alex was lying down in his cot, the chilly air blowing around him. He was holding up the blue gem that Kanonno had given him that he wore around his neck, gazing upon it. Starting today, he would no longer see it as a sad reminder of a good friend that he had once had. Now, he would see it as a memento from his strong friend who had dedicated her whole life to repenting her crime. Alex smiled at the crystal, seeming to study it from every angle possible. He kept staring at it for a little while longer, and then put the crystal back beneath his shirt.

_Kanonno...I'm no longer upset about what you did at Calamos. It's true that the slaughter of innocent people is an unforgivable act, but the fact that you were truly upset about what you did and you did all you could to make up for it proves to me that you did what you did out of love for your world. I share the same kind of love for Terresia, and I swear that I will never allow Valvus to even touch the world I love, or anyone who would try to disrupt the worlds. Thank you, Kanonno. You've taught me what it truly means to love your world and its people..._

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_The next morning, a few miles short of Besos..._

Alex was riding on Devatos, the rest of the army marching alongside him. The Green Blades from Granvoise were also there, hauling the catapults along, which altogether were carrying about three hundred stones. Fortunately, the catapults had wheels on them, so it was really easy to transport them. Alongside Alex were all of the Ad Libitum members, as the UFTW would attempt to set its Scollance base in Besos. Leading the army was, of course, Kratos, with Jade not too far behind him. Alex was riding with the 4th Cavalry Division of the UFTW, a section he had recently been put in charge of.

Alex continued to ride on forward until he suddenly spotted Besos. The whole military suddenly stopped, and gazed upon the dark fort, the castle creating a strange shade that enveloped the front area of the fort. Several thousand archers patrolled the walls and guard towers, looking out for the UFTW. Suddenly, a soldier spotted the UFTW, and he quickly ran and rang the alarm bell, all of the archers turning to face the UFTW force. The two forces locked eyes for a minute, all of them readying their weapons.

"Catapult unit! Begin firing! Aim for the archer towers and any weakpoint you can find! Mage unit! Start casting and assist the catapult unit! All other units, remain on standby and try to avoid the arrows!" Kratos ordered.

The soldiers shouted out in reply, and the first catapult loaded up and launched the first stone, flying towards one of the towers. It missed, however, but it left an impact crater on the spot it landed. The next catapult fired as well, but it missed its target as well. The mages began casting spells, but they barely seemed to be doing any damage to the walls. The archers on the walls began firing, as soldiers raised their shields to block them. The result was that some of the soldiers were killed, but most of them blocked the arrows in time...

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_Seven hours later..._

By now, the battle hadn't progressed much, but some was about to be made. The once strong stone walls were now battered, the catapults having hit them many times. Most of the archer towers were now destroyed, but many archers still remained on the walls despite the stones raining down on them from the catapults. Behind the walls, unknown to the UFTW, was a group of thousands of foot soldiers, armer with weapons that were for close combat. They gripped their weapons tensely, knowing that very soon, their time to fight would come.

At the UFTW side, things were pretty much the same. Several hundred soldiers, possibly thousands, had been killed by the arrows, but for the most part, they were still intact. As Alex gazed over at the catapults, he saw one of them ready another stone and launch it directly towards the center of the front walls. After several seconds, the stone hit the wall dead on, which finally gave way and collapsed, several soldiers on that part of the wall either falling or being crushed to their deaths as it crumbled.

Alex then raised his sword. "Cavalry unit, charge!"

The cavalry cheered out, and their horses began to ride out towards the destroyed wall, Alex joining the calvalry in their march. Before the war had begun, Kratos explained to him that most generals stayed in the back lines, giving orders and rarely participating in combat. However, Alex refused to follow this policy, explaining that a general was just another soldier, and a soldier who merely stayed in the back and allowed his comrades to die didn't deserve to be called a soldier, saying that no matter what, he would always fight alongside his men like a common soldier.

Alex rode forward, his cavalry unit enduring the arrows that were being fired towards them, though he heard General Halvun order the archer unit to provide cover fire. Alex swiftly guided Devatos across the field, avoiding the arrows that passed him. When he got close to the fort's exposed entrance, he could see the Pascan's infantry waiting for them. Alex then continued to charge, and the infantry got their lances ready, hoping to pierce the horses down. Still, Alex ordered the charge, readying his sword.

Finally, the two met. Alex swiftly slashed his sword and cut across an enemy soldier's neck. He then parried a sword swung at him, and in response, Alex grabbed a dead soldier's lance and threw it a the sword used, impaling him through the chest. Suddenly, Alex gasped as arrows came from him at all sides, the soldiers on the wall turning their attention to the cavalry. Alex barely managed to dodge the arrows, but in retaliation, all the catapults fired at once. The results were devastating as more of the walls crumbled down and the archers on the walls met their end.

The UFTW's infantry then began to charge, headed for the fort. Alex continued to battle on the street in front of the main castle, with the Pascan's infantry pouring out from everywhere. Alex struck an enemy soldier in the arm, then cut off his head quickly. He gasped as he saw a lance headed straight towards him, but one of the members of the cavalry unit rode in and took the lance for him. Alex gasped in shock, and grit his teeth in anger, removing the lance from the soldier's body and throwing in right at the soldier who had thrown the lance, who gasped as was impaled through the stomach.

Alex then rode forward, slashing another enemy soldier across the chest. He then spun his sword in a semi-circle, chopping off two enemy soldier's heads. He rode over to the left, and barely avoided another arrow. He then thrust his sword through an enemies' neck, decapicating him quickly. Just then, the infantry charged in, and began assisting the cavalry, fighting more soldiers on the ground.

Alex then turned towards the rest of the cavalry. "Cavalry! Begin heading towards the castle!"

The cavalry then turned their horses and headed for the castle, chopping down anyone in their way. When they saw the castle, they were dismayed to find that the door was securely locked and sealed. Alex suddenly realized why Prophet had wanted them to get the battering ram.

"Cavalry! One fourth of you will return to the starting point and get the heavily armed infantry! Tell them we need the battering ram, and fast!" Alex ordered.

Several of the cavalry then turned around, riding towards the rest of army, racing to get the battering ram, though Alex knew breaking down the door would be no easy chore, seeing that many archers could easily target the front door...

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_Three hours later..._

Belladonna was standing in the main hall of the castle, giving orders to several soldiers. The door in front of her suddenly shook violently again, the restraints on the door very weak, ready to burst any minute now. Another general, the main general in charge of Besos' defense, ran up to Belladonna, saluting quickly.

"General Belladonna! It's no good. The battle is lost! It's my fault...I concentrated too many of our forces on the walls...I didn't expect the UFTW to be able to break in down that easily. There's simply not enough soldiers left in the castle!" The general exclaimed.

Belladonna shook her head. "No. We can still fight!"

The general stared at her. "Believe me, General Belladonna. Now listen to me right now. You're more important to our military than this one fortress is. We can't risk you dying!"

"What...what are you saying?" Belladonna asked, though she had a deep feeling she knew what was coming.

"General Belladonna. You've got to get out of here. Take three hundred soldiers, and flee. Find a campground in the Kiseki Fields, and hide out there. Get in contact with Yazak immediately, and ask them to send reinforcements. Tell them that they need to fight out in the Kiseki Fields so that our soldiers all around Scollance can be prepared to fight back." The general explained.

"But...what about you?" Belladonna asked.

The general grew silent. "I'll...I'll...I'll launch a last stand with everything we've got here. That'll give you enough time to flee the fort. There's a destroyed partition of the back wall. You can escape through there. Get out of here!"

Belladonna gasped, memories of what happened in Loret rushing back to her. "N...no! Don't do it! You'll die! I'm not worth dying for!"

"Yes you are! Do you realize how revered you are in the military? Everyone I know loves you! You've never treated us badly, and have always put other's safety over yours! You're a far better general than I am...you must survive to keep up the army's morale! Now go!" The general exclaimed.

"I...I can't! I won't let you die!" Belladonna answered, her voice tearing up.

The general sighed. "I'm sorry, General Belladonna. I never thought I'd need to do this." He then grabbed a bottle out of a pouch on his waist, and opened it. He coated his sword with the bottle, and suddenly stabbed Belladonna very gently in the left arm.

Belladonna gasped. "Why...why?"

"I'm not trying to kill you. Quite the opposite. My blade was coated with a poison. The poison will paralyze your body for several hours, rendering you unable to move and unconscious. I'm sorry, but if you won't leave, I'll have to get you out of here by force. Unit Four! Get General Belladonna out of here! Flee to the Kiseki Fields! There's a broken wall behind the castle that you can use! This is my final order to you! Take care of General Belladonna for me!"

Belladonna then fell on the ground, unconscious. A group of three hundred soldiers quickly ran over to Belladonna, picked her up, and began running through the back doors.

The general then knelt down, praying. "Avoli, this is your humble servant. Thank you for granting me life, and thank you for making me the person I am today. With my final acts, I shall go to join you soon. Thank you for everything, and may I be forgiven for sending other men alongside me to their death."

The general then raised his sword. "ALL UNITS, TO THE GATE!"

Thousands and thousands of soldiers then poured down into the hallway, their weapons ready. They all braced themselves as the general gave one last speech. "My fellow brothers! For the last couple of years, we have all lived, fought, and died together. Now, as we prepare to leave this world, let us fight the hardest we've ever fought before! Let the world now that we gave our lives defending this fort, and may our last stand go down in history!"

Just then, the battering ram slammed into the door, causing it to finally give way and collapse. Thousands of UFTW soldiers burst in the hallway, surprised at the large amount of men. The general then raised his sword, and all of the soldiers behind him charged, the general rushing to his ultimate fate...

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_Half an hour later..._

At long last, the Battle for Besos had ended. Thousands of bodies lay dead in the castle and short outside its gates. The UFTW had won, but Besos' last stand had took out several thousand soldiers. Alex stood among the bodies, gazing upon then, when suddenly, a soldier ran up to him, saluting.

"General Terresca! I have an important report!" The soldier exclaimed.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

The soldier read a paper in his hands. "According to several soldiers outside the walls, around the time the Pascans launched their final assault, they saw a small unit of soldiers running from the back of the fort, fleeing. One of the soldiers who had binoculars claimed that he saw the Pascan general Belladonna among with them."

"What?! Is that true?!" Alex exclaimed. _So, Belladonna was here? Then why didn't she fight me?_

The soldier nodded. "Apparently. We've spoken to other generals, and they believe that the Pascan's final assault was a ruse to allow General Belladonna to escape the fortress alive."

Alex nodded. "I see...very well. Tell General Aurion that I think we should rest here a few days, then send scouts to hunt down the escaped Pascans."

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied, saluting and running off. Alex continued to stand over the bodies, looking troubled.

_So, Belladonna got away? The Pascan military must truly like her to sacrifice themselves for her. Still, something doesn't feel right...I have this chilling feeling...the feeling something bad is going to happen..._

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**How was it? I thought this chapter accomplished what I had hoped for. Now, I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that next chapter is the chapter we've all been waiting for (at least, what **_**I've**_** been waiting for), so don't miss it! The bad news is that finals are coming up, so I'll probably have to devote a lot of time to studying, so this chapter may not be up for another month or so. Still, don't miss the next chapter, as it is, no joke, THE GREATEST CHAPTER SO FAR. That's all. Read and Review please!**


	28. Chapter 27: Horrifying Discovery

**Hi there! Final Poke Mario Fan is here! This chapter, along with the next two chapters, are the chapters I've wanted to write the most since I began writing this story! Why, you ask? Well, read and find out!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 27: Horrifying Discovery

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_Kiseki Fields, about twenty miles south of the fort of Besos, morning after the battle of Besos..._

In the barren plain of the Kiskeki Fields, a small campsite had been set up, at least one hundred tents in the area. Dense grey clouds hovered above the tents, though they still weren't storm clouds. In a week or so, the first snow of the year was expected to happen, so all of Pasca had prepared themselves for the long, cold winter. Smoke rose from the camp, several campfires having been started for the purpose of cooking breakfast for the people in the campground. Many of them were out getting food ready, though some were still asleep.

General Belladonna was sitting down on the cot in her tent, a depressed look on her face. She was still upset that everyone else in Besos had simply died just so that she could escape. What frightened her the most was that the general at Besos poisoned her willingly so that other people could get her out the castle. Belladonna sighed, and began walking for the falds of the tent when suddenly, a blue light viewer appeared in front of her, Darius' face staring right at her with a bit of concern, noticing she was in a tent.

"General Belladonna? Where are you? What happened to Besos?" Darius asked.

Belladonna's face faltered behind her helm. "...Besos had been lost. The UFTW used catapults and a battering ram to break down our defenses, and as a last act, the general at Besos ordered me and three hundred other soldiers to escape from the castle and retreat. We're out here in the Kiseki Fields now, but we can't get to any nearby towns or forts due to the fact we're low on supplies."

Darius looked troubled. "I see...is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, there is something. We need to get into contact with Yazak as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we don't think one of our soldiers can make the journey, because we don't have enough time to get around. I need you to talk to the generals of Yazak and request that they send about five thousand soldiers and supplies to us. Tell them not to bring us back to Yazak, because at our current state, we need about a week to recover before we can head off to the city. Can you do it for me?" Belladonna requested.

"Of course, General Belladonna. I'll get in contact with them as soon as possible. Just...be careful, alright? Don't die, no matter how hard it gets." Darius replied, speaking to Belladonna in a fatherly tone.

Belladonna lowered her glance at his words. "...I'll try not to. The UFTW will be pursuing us soon, however... we need to move around a little bit each day. The Terresian Descender will most likely be there with the pursuit force...I just know that we'll battle once again. Hopefully, I can defeat him this time, but I can't gurantee anything."

"...So you now consider the Terresian Descender to be a dangerous rival?" Darius asked.

"...Yes. He is a person worthy of his skills. Our power is almost equal, so at this point, the battle could go either way. I have a feeling that the battle between me and him will end very soon...meaning either I'll take his life, or...he'll take..._my_ life." Belladonna replied, trailing off at the end.

Darius grew morbidly silent. "..."

Belladonna recognized Darius' discomfort. "Don't worry, General Darius. I promise that I'll make it out of this alive, alright? I can't...I _won't_ die until I see the day Master Valvus' plan comes through."

"R...Right. I'll speak to you later." Darius replied. The blue light viewer then faded away, disappearing from view.

Belladonna frowned, thinking about her last few statements. _I...I don't know why...but I just know that me and the Terresian Descender are about to have our final battle any day now. I must be strong...I have to take him down. The Terresian Descender is a big threat to our plans, and he cannot be allowed to live. Who will win this battle: the Terresian Descender, the sworn protector of his world, or me, Belladonna, one of the highest ranked generals in the military?_

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_One week later, Besos..._

Alex was out in the square in front of the castle of Besos, sparring with Veigue. Alex had decided to spar with Veigue because out of all the Ad Libitum soldiers, he had the most unique fighting style, something that intrigued Alex. He quickly swung horizantally, but Veigue blocked it with his sword. Veigue then swung downwards at Alex. Alex dodged it, but Veigue then used Genryuuzan, slipping behind Alex and slashing him twice. Alex grunted, and managed to surprise Veigue with a Demon Fang, knocking him off balance. Alex then thrust his sword forward, scraping Veigue's arm. Neither of them were worried about getting injured badly; there was a spell cast on them before the battle that prevented them from getting too hurt.

Veigue then quickly counterattacked with Muenshin, knocking Alex back a few feet. Alex then ran forward and slashed down at Veigue, but Veigue managed to dodge by moving to the right. Veigue then swung horizantally, knocking Alex off guard and hitting him in the side. Alex then fell over, but quickly got to his feet. He then swung counterclockwise at Veigue, managing to strike him in the arm. Veigue grunted, and jumped back a few inches. He then swing downwards as Alex blocked it with his shield.

Alex then quickly used Demonic Chaos, launching three shockwaves at Veigue. He grunted, and moved over to the right, thrusting his sword forward then comboing it with Reppashou, swinging hard twice. Alex got hit by the attack, but he swing sideways at Veigue, who managed to block it with his sword. Veigue then held his sword up for a second, then it was suddenly infused with ice. He swung at Alex three time, then used Genryuuzan. The sudden attack caused Alex to hit the ground, but before he could get up, he saw Veigue's sword pointed towards his throat.

Alex sighed, and nodded. "Alright. I surrender. That's enough sparring for today." Alex then got off the ground, and gave a look of respect to Veigue as he spoke. "I'm impressed by your form, Veigue. While your sword's size slows you down a bit, you managed to counter that aspect with powerful moves, and your Genryuuzan gives you the speed you need for quick attacks. Where did you learn your swordplay?"

"It's self-taught. Where I lived, there wasn't anyone else using a sword, so I trained alone most of the time." Veigue explained, sheathing his sword onto the sheath on his back.

"I see..." Alex remarked, starting to turn for the castle.

"Alex, wait a second. I...I wanted to apologize for acting cold to you when I first met you." Veigue suddenly stated.

Alex looked surprised. This did not sound like the Veigue he knew. "What do you mean?"

Veigue looked up towards the sky for a second. "When we met back in Terresia all those months ago, I had only just arrived there recently after the so called 'Gilgulim Crisis'. When I did, however...Eugene and Annie were the only people that I knew there. There were people back on my homeworld that I cared for a lot that were not there in Terresia, so I assumed they were...dead. I was crushed, and couldn't think straight back then. But when I came to Pasca, I realized that if the people of a destroyed world came back to life here, then the people in my world would still be alive. That's why I was so cold to you. I'm...I'm sorry."

Alex still maintained a look of surprise, but smiled before speaking again. "There's nothing to apologize for, Veigue. I knew you didn't really mean to act that way towards me. Well...actually, I got a bad first impression from you when I met you, I'll say that. But when we teamed up to defeat that monster back in the Forest of Romof, I knew you were a good person. But anyway, that's enough of that. Shall..."

Suddenly, a bell rang four times from the castle, the chimes echoing in the plains. Alex glanced up, knowing what that meant. A four-bell chime meant that it was time for a strategy meeting. Alex looked over to Veigue, and they nodded and headed off for the strategy room...

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_Strategy room..._

Alex and the other Ad Libitum members were gathered in the strategy room, alongside several other generals. As usual, Kratos and Jade were standing in front of a large map of Scollvoise. They glanced to make sure everyone was there, and Kratos cleared his throat and began.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin the meeting. After the battle for Besos a week ago, we had eyewitness accounts of a unit containing General Belladonna escaping from the battlefield. Just now, one of our scout units returned. They found Belldonna's unit."

"Where?" Chester asked.

Jade pointed towards a spot on the map. "Right here. Approximately 35 miles southwest of Besos, still in the Kiseki Fields region. Our scouts have reported that there's about five thousand soldiers located in the unit. Therefore, we have decided to send a twelve thousand soldier squad to pursue and eliminate them. The ultimate goal of this operation is to defeat and possibly kill General Belladonna. She's cut off from support at the moment, so if we're going to strike, we'd best do it now."

Jade paused before continuing. "Leading this operation will be me. My second in command will be General Gallardo, followed by General Yaciel and General Terresca. As for Ad Libitum, due to the nature of this operation, I've decided to bring everyone along with the exception of Raine, Genis, Tear, Reid, and Arche. General Halvun, you will be in charge on Besos while we're gone."

General Halvun nodded. "Understood, General Curtiss."

Kratos took it from there. "Regarding formations, we will bring along five thousand cavalry soldiers and seven thousand infantry soldiers. We leave Besos in two hours for the operation. We'll set up camp for tonight, and then we'll attack the enemy around noon. Don't worry too much about packing, since we'll be returning to Besos after the operation. However, try to wear a lot of warm clothing, since the weather has been getting harsher around here ever since winter began. There hasn't been any snow yet, but we don't want to take a risk."

Jade went back to the map. "However, there is one problem. While we have superior numbers compared to the Pascans, most of our unit is comprised of new soldiers, while the Pascans have experienced soldiers. We can't take more of our more experienced soldiers because the enemy should know by now that Besos is weak right now, and they could choose to attack at any moment. Since we're taking so many of you alongside us, we need to counter your lack of prescence here with experienced soldiers."

Kratos nodded. "Right. That is all. You're all dismissed. Head toward the gates in an hour and a half to be fully ready for battle."

Everyone then got out of their chairs, and started walking away, most of them headed for lunch. As Alex walked out of the room and headed towards the mess hall, he thought about the meeting.

_Hmm...so, General Belladonna's been found? Interesting...this could prove to be a good opportunity for me. General Belladonna is too dangerous to live at this point. If she continues to live, we could suffer more and more losses from battle. Therefore, I have to kill her now...by doing so, the campaign in Scollance will go a lot smoother. Wait for me, Belladonna...our final battle will be tommorow..._

"Hey! Alex! Mind eating lunch with me?" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Sure!" Alex replied, broken out of his thoughts. He shrugged it off, and ran off towards Lloyd...

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_Four hours later..._

Valvus was standing in the chamber of the Ruins of Jezid. The room had changed a bit from the last time he had been there. The altar with the stone was still there, but the lines from it now had a strange blue energy flowing through them. The altars covered in sheets still surrounded the main altar, the "tributes" still under the sheets. The main point of focus, however, was the center of the room in front of the stone, where a glowing blue glass-like ball rotated while on a pedestal, sending energy into the black lines. Several scholars were around the room, making a couple checks of the ball.

One scholar walked up to Valvus, bowing. "Master Valvus. We have gathered the results from the examination."

Valvus turned towards the scholar, interested. "What are they?"

"Well, we have deemed that the device can only be used to its full potential if the one who controls the device wields that black blade you obtained back in that world. There's some sort of resonance between the the two, you see. My guess would have to be because once you killed the former wielder of the blade, who was the creator of the device, his life essence flowed into the blade. That blade can control the device in anyway the wielder desires. Sir...if I may be so bold, I believe at full power, this device could destroy the polar icecaps." The scholar explained.

"Really? The blade had that much power?" Valvus asked, intrigued, changing from the powerful emperor he was known as to the learner of foreign ideas.

The scholar nodded. "Right. But what's more interesting is that while studying the blade in those books we stole from that world, we learned that that blade is actually one from a set of six. While these blades can control the device, they also have the power to destroy it. Just by stabbing four or five of them into the device will be enough to trigger a reaction that will destroy the device, along with anything in a two-mile radius."

"Do we know where the other five are located?"

"Unfortunately, no. But if you found the black blade in that world, then the other five should still be on the world. According to our sources, the five blades were last known to be in possession of a group of travelers."

"Good. If those blades came up, we'd have a problem. But since their stuck in their own world, we have nothing to worry about. Has the energy transfer been completed yet?"

"Yes, sir. Twenty five percent was transferred in just now. This means that it will take longer for it to fire again, but as you predicted, it should be powerful enough to provide the altar with enough power to resist. Of course, to activate its full potential, you need all three first, but you already knew that. We've also tested out the resistance factors on the device itself. Those six blades are the only things in the world that can destroy it."

Valvus nodded, smiling. "Excellent work. All of you! You may take an hour break before we continue to work! When we continue working, I want you all to begin testing the influence the device will have on the tributes!"

"Yes sir!" The scholars replied. They all dispersed, headed for the higher levels of the ruins to go outside. Valvus stood still as he continued to observe the device while a scholar walked up towards him.

"Sir, are you going up?" The scholar asked.

Valvus shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'll be down here if you need me."

"Then would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee? We've been here sinece last night, and you haven't gotten much sleep." The scholar offered.

"Yes, I'd like that. Thank you." Valvus replied.

The scholar saluted, and ran up the stairs behind him to head outside. Valvus continued to observe the device and smile.

_Things are going even better than I could have hoped for now. With this device, not even the Terresian Descender can stop Assimilation. His so called "powers" won't even put a scratch on the ruins. He can get the item in the Emerald Safe for all I care, but it won't make a difference. With two out of the three artifacts found, the device in place, and Mithos supplying us with armor, we'll have enough time to stall the UFTW and begin Assimilation. This device...it truly lives up to its name..._

_The _Eye of God_..._

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_That evening, UFTW camp..._

Alex was sitting at the dining tables set up outside the campfire. The UFTW had been only able to eat raw, small portions of food lately, as even with the capture of Besos, one base was not enough to feed the entire army even with the shipments they were being sent from Granvoise. Alex was currently sitting down with Cless and Chester, eating some meat while drinking water. As they finished eating, Alex stared up towards the dark clouds in the sky, in thought about something while Cless and Chester were discussing something.

"Hey, Alex?" Chester asked.

"Hmm? What is it?" Alex replied, glancing over to his friend.

"What are you going to do after this war?" Chester asked.

Upon hearing those words, Alex's heart sunk. _They...none of them remember once this is over, I'll be gone for good. What do I say?_ "Wh...why are you asking me that question?"

Chester sighed, wating before speaking up. "Well, it's just...I've been thinking. This war isn't over yet, sure. But what is a soldier supposed to do when the war is over for him? I worked with Ad Libitum and as a hunter before this, sure. But now that I hear as long as Gilgulim is active, I can return to my world once this is all over. All my life, I've been hunting, but when I think about it, it just doesn't seem like I can keep doing it forever. So I've been trying to think of something else to do when I go back after the war."

"...To be honest, I never really thought about it. I'm a Descender...all my life, all I've know what to do is follow the will of my world. Everything I've done in my life has been in battle. All I really know what to do is fight. But...I hate fighting. I could never make a living off it without killing my conscience every day. There must be something else to do, I know that. But I'm not sure what would be enough to satisfy me when all I know what to do is fight. I would need time to think about what to do. What about you, Cless?" Alex replied, half-lying.

Cless seemed surprised Alex was passing the buck to him. "Me? Well, I already had a plan set out. First thing I'll do when the war's over is go home and rebuild my home village. After that, well, you see, my father owned a sword training dojo before it was destroyed, so I decided that I'll continue his work. That's pretty much it. But Alex, think about it for a minute. You say you know only how to fight, yes? Well then, is there something besides fighting that you'd like to do for people? It doesn't have to be a job or anything, though."

Alex lowered his head down, thinking about what Cless said. "...There is one thing. I would like to tell people the truth about this war."

"'Tell people about this war? What do you mean? Everyone in Pasca and Terresia knows about the war." Chester replied.

"No, that's not quite what I mean. What I mean is that while it's true that people know about this war, they only hear what they read in books and in the news. What I want to do is to tell the people from _our_ perspective. They need to know what's truly going on here. They have a right to know just how cruel war is and that we soldiers are people as well. I wish to tell them both sides perspective, so that we can all see that deep down, we and the Pascans aren't all that different. They must know the experience of war from one who fought in a war. That's something I wish to do, but I don't know how." Alex answered, a troubled look on his face.

Cless frowned for a second before speaking. "I see...well, if we make it to the end of the war, maybe you'll find a way to do so. But for now, Alex, you know all we can do is fight. So if you truly wish to tell people about the war, then don't die. I know you don't want to fight the Pascans, but it's too late for that now. If we were to stop fighting, they'd kill us all."

"I know. It's just difficult to think of them as enemies and not people." Alex answered, yawning, his eyes droopy.

"I know, but it can't be helped. Get some sleep, Alex. You look exhausted." Chester replied.

Alex nodded. "Right...goodnight."

"Goodnight." Cless and Chester answered, Alex headed for his tent...

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_Next morning, unknown location..._

In another dimension, surrounded by darkness, Prophet floated silently, looking down from him. In his head, the two voices were conversing.

"_This is it..._" The high pitched said, sounding nervous.

"_Yes, the day we've been waiting for has arrived. This is going to be very amusing...I can't wait for the end of it...heh._" The deeper voice added, sounding excited.

"_...Be careful, Alex. You have to be strong..._" The high pitch voice said to himself...

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_Belladonna's camp, four hours later..._

It was about ten o'clock in the morning. The Pascans were silently walking around the camp, watching for enemies. They would be ready to leave in two days, but before that, they knew they would have to be on guard, as the UFTW would undoubtly be coming for them sooner or later. Belladonna was sitting inside her tent, when suddenly, a soldier ran in, panting.

"General...General Belladonna!" The soldier exclaimed.

"What's wrong, officer?" Belladonna asked, prepared for the worst.

The soldier took a deep breath before continuing. "Our scouts have just picked up a UFTW force headed this way! According to the scout report, they're approximately two hours away from here!"

Belladonna gritted her teeth, cursing. "Damn it. How many are in the force?"

"According to the scouts, there's at least ten thousand of them, though there's likely more. Over half of them are infantry soldiers, while the rest are cavalry soldiers. They've also spotted several UFTW leaders riding alongside them, including the General of the Army, General Aurion." The soldier replied, a look of fear in his eyes.

"I knew we wouldn't be able to stay lucky for long. We only have five thousand with us right now, and we're outnumbered by half. There's no way out...if we flee, they'll just catch up to us. There's no place to hide here either...we're in plain visible sight from all directions, and there's no mountains for another fifty miles. But...wait. You say they'll be here in about two hours?" Belladonna asked.

The soldier nodded, speaking up. "Yes, General Belladonna. That's what the scout said."

"I see...we can use that time to our advantage. I'll be out there in a minute. Officer! Ring the battle bell, and inform the other generals of the situation! Tell them to get all soldier and archers into position within an hour! Prepare the special barrels I requested from Yazak, and I'll give further instructions on what to do with them! Have the swordsmen take the front lines, and the lancers will take the center, followed by the archers! Have the mages put on standby as I give them personal instructions! Is that clear, officer?!" Belladonna ordered.

"Understood, General Belladonna!" The soldier replied, saluting her and running out to the camp. Belladonna sat down, and sighed as she heard the bell for battle ring.

_This is it. This is finally it. Terresian Descender...I'd bet my life you're with that enemy force. Today will be the day of our last battle. One of us has to fall...and while I'm willing to die for Master Valvus' plan, I'm not going to let myself be killed by you! Prepare yourself, Terresian Descender...today there will be no holding back. You and I will fight our strongest, and then we'll finally learn once and for all who is the stronger swordsman...me, or you? _Belladonna thought. She walked over to the corner of the room, picked up her bastard sword, and headed out for the battlefield...

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_Two hours later..._

Alex rode out front with the rest of the cavalry, his sword ready. He glanced at the rest of the unit, then continued riding. He could see the Pascan camp right in front of him about half a mile away. He tried looking for Belladonna, but the soldiers were too far away, so he couldn't see their faces. However, he noticed Kratos seemed to be scanning the entire enemy unit throughly, checking the positions of enemy units. Alex didn't understand how Kratos' eyesight was so good, but he didn't bother asking.

"Kratos? What does the enemy formation look like?" Alex asked.

"...The enemy is using a 'wall' formation. They have swordsmen in the front, archers in the middle, and lancers in the back. It's strange, though...their mages are scattered all across the line. It looks too strange for a normal military position. Alex, be careful." Kratos explained.

"Got it." Alex replied.

Kratos nodded, and raised his sword. "Cavalry, charge! We don't have much choice in strategy this time around, so try to break them down! Infantry, join up with the cavalry once they've met with the enemy!"

The soldiers yelled out in response, and the cavalry began charging at the Pascan forces, but Alex lagged behind because he was unprepared for the abrupt charge, so he ended up near the back. On the Pascan side, the archers readied their bows, and began firing arrows. They launched, and several of the cavalry soldiers were hit and fell to the ground. Despite this, the charge still continued strong, the UFTW charging with all their forces. Alex looked back for a second, seeing the rest of the Ad Libitum members with the infantry. He sighed, and continued charging. Suddenly, the archers stopped firing arrows.

_Huh? What's going on? Why did the Pascans stop firing? Did they run out of arrows or something? _Alex thought. The cavalry unit continued charging, and by now were about two hundred yards away from the Pascan main force.

Belladonna suddenly swerved her arm downwards. "FIRE!"

The mages suddenly started casting, and cast Fireball...towards the ground. Seconds passed in silence as the UFTW continued to charge, clearly confused.

_What the..._

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. Towards the front and middle of the cavalry, the ground suddenly seemed to _explode_. The cavalry screamed as they were burnt and blown off their horses, falling to the ground, dead. The explosions continued, causing the entire UFTW unit to panic. The ground kept exploding, and suddenly, it ceased just as quickly as it had begun. The remains of the cavalry were left in shock, and the horses were screeching wildly as their eyes widened and began to panic.

"ALEX!" Lloyd exclaimed, shocked at what happened.

Alex kept taking in deep breaths. "What...what...what just happened?"

On the Pascan side, the soldiers began cheering, one of the generals turning to smile at Belladonna. "Good plan, General Belladonna!"

Belladonna nodded, smiling behind her helm. _The plan worked. You don't know this, Terresian Descender, but before the battle began, I had specifically asked the Yazak general for something special in case we were attacked. I obtained one hundred barrels of gunpowder, and before the battle, I had them buried one hundred yards away from the battlefield main line. We hid them, then attached strings to them, and covered them in dirt to camoflauge them. When the mages used Fireball, they hit the string, which lead to and ignited the gunpowder. It seems we have crippled you already without losing a single soldier._

Alex managed to regain control of Devatos, and took a scan of the damage. Already, he had lost two-thirds of his cavalry, and the Pascans hadn't even been scratched yet. He grit his fist and slammed into his other hand, cursing.

Kratos grit his teeth in anger. "Damn them...INFANTRY! The plan has changed! Back up the remains of the cavalry! Hurry!"

The infantry yelled out in anger, and charged forward, intent on avenging their comrades. The remains of the cavalry picked themselves up too, and continued charging, the battle about to begin...

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_Same time, several miles back..._

In the Kiseki Fields, about fifteen miles from Besos, the land was silent with the exception of the sound of horses hooves beating fast. Four riders, along with one flying in the air, were racing at top speed in the direction of the battle. The riders all had horrified, panicked looks on their faces, looking as if they had been punched in the gut. The four riders were Genis, Raine, Tear, and Reid, along with Arche flying along with her broom.

Genis glanced over to Raine, his face worried. "R...Raine...how much longer?! We need to get to the others as soon as possible!"

"Genis, calm down! You're not the only one worried! About your first question, we've only been traveling for two hours! We've got another five to go!" Raine exclaimed.

"Damn it! We need to hurry! We can't let the battle go on without the other knowing what we found!" Reid exclaimed.

Arche merely kept flying on her broom in silent shock, her eyes wide.

_Damn it! Why did this have to happen!? _Genis thought, his face contorted in emotion, recalling why he was riding in the first place...

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_Three hours earlier..._

Genis was walking around the towers of the castle in Besos, bored out of his mind. He was headed for the staircase leading towards the basement, when suddenly, he passed by Reid, who looked equally bored.

"Ah, good morning, Reid!" Genis greeted.

Reid yawned, stretching. "Ahh...morning, Genis."

Genis saw the look in Reid's eyes, and sighed as he recognized the emotion in his eyes. "Let me guess: you're bored too?"

"Bored as hell is more like it. There's nothing to do right now! I need to be doing something or I get bored! Everyone else got to head out to battle, but we've been left behind here to rot! Sure, it's nice knowing I won't have to risk my life, but I'd rather be doing _something _with my sword! I'm a hunter, after all! Can't they just let me out and go find us something good to eat?" Reid commented, sighing.

Genis sighed. "Reid...the Kiseki Fields is virtually devoid of life according to what I've read. In short, there is _nothing_ to hunt here."

Reid grew a little angry. "I know that! Geez, I wasn't asking for a smart-ass reply."

"Who are you calling a smart-ass?" Genis retorted, angry.

"What's going on here?" A voice called out. Reid and Genis immediately stopped fighting as they heard the voice, and looked in fear as they saw Raine rounding the corner, looking at the two in confusion.

"Ah...nothing, nothing!" Genis nervously replied, remembering Raine's past "punishments" to him in the past.

Reid nodded, knowing about these "punishments" from Genis. "R...Right! Nothing at all, ma'am!"

Raine cocked an eyebrow, knowing the two were lying. "Really. Well then..."

"Ah! No!" Reid shouted. He literally jumped back into the wall, leaning against it as he kicked a stone. Suddenly, he heard the sound of shifting stone, and gasped as he fell backwards, landing on his back as the stone shifted. Tear and Arche quickly ran in as they heard the stone shifting. The five of them gazed in amazement as the stone wall gave way, reavealing a doorway.

"Wha...what's this?" Arche said, glancing at the door in surprise.

Tear looked surprised as well. "A...a secret passageway?"

"Amazing..." Raine remarked.

Reid stood up, glancing at the door in surprise. He walked up to it, and grabbed the handle. "Hey, it's unlocked."

"Really? Well...Raine, what do you think?" Genis asked, glancing at his sister.

Raine thought for a moment, her eyes gleaming. "If there's a secret passage here blocking the door, then that means...there must be something good behind that door! Let's go in now!"

Genis, hearing her outburst, sighed. "Not again..."

"Reid! Open the door, now!" Raine screeched, excited.

"Y...Yes ma'am!" Reid quickly replied, frightened. He opened the door, only to reveal a dark entrance. Raine grabbed an unlit torch from a nearby stand, and had Genis light it, as she ran in, everyone else following. When they entered, however, Raine's face turned to a look of surprise. The others looked around, and gasped at a look of the room.

The room was a dark, musty circular stone room filled with black stone. Around the room were several file cabinets, all lined up in a precise order, though they were covered in dust. A sign above the cabinets read **PASCAN MILITARY ARCHIVES:TOP SECRET**.

"Mi...Military archives?!" Arche exclaimed.

"What...what is something like this doing in Besos?" Genis muttered surprised.

Tear thought for a second. "Raine, we should probably take a good look around this room. There could be some important Pascan information here that could help us in the war."

Raine snapped of her surprise. "You're...you're right! Let's get looking! Everyone, search for anything that we've never heard about in these cabinets!"

Reid walked over to one of the file cabinets, and tried to open it, looking surprised. "This one's locked!"

"So is this one!"

"Locked!"

"...It won't open."

Raine sighed. "We...we can't open any of them. We should probably..."

_-click!_ "S..sis! This one's unlocked!" Genis exclaimed, at the "B" cabinet. Everyone else stopped what they were doing, and glanced over at Genis, who was in the left side of the room.

"Really? Then open it!" Raine exclaimed, the rest flocking over to Genis.

Genis opened the cabinet, but he looked confused. "Huh? There's only one file here! Let's see...'General Belladonna'..."

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_Back at the battlefield, two and a half hours after the Pascans activated their gunpowder trap..._

The battle was raging on between the two forces, both meeting up with each other in the middle. Unlike most battles, this one was going very slow, with very little casualties on either side. Alex was currently parrying a soldier's sword strike, and eventually overpowered the soldier and impaled him through the heart. Alex then jumped back and performed a Spreading Chaos, firing five Demon Fang waves around him. Most of them missed, but one managed to hit its target, knocking him to the ground. Alex then ran up and stabbed him from the throat. He suddenly gasped as an ally soldier's body was throw right at him, Alex managing to duck in time.

Alex looked at the direction the body had been thrown from, and was surprised to see General Belladonna standing there, her bastard sword covered in blood. Her helm had a little bit of blood on it, dripping past the slits of the helm. Belladonna turned her head, and saw Alex standing right there, and the two locked glances. Alex readied his sword and ran towards her, Belladonna just waiting for him. Alex stopped and stared at her, Belladonna glancing back as she grinned behind her helm.

"Terresian Descender...I've been waiting for this moment for a month. Finally, I can fight you again." Belladonna announced, holding her bastard sword in her right hand.

Alex took note of this. "Enough talk. This ends today. Don't hold back, no matter what."

"Well said, Terresian Descender. I was going to say the same to you." Belldonna replied, holding her sword with both hands.

The two combatants raised their weapons, and rushed at each other, ready to fight...

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_Five and a half hours earlier, Besos, military archives room..._

The five Ad Libitum members were sitting on the ground of the military archives room, reading General Belladonna's file, which, strangely, was only composed of three pages. The room was cold, so they had opened the door and placed the torch in a stand so they could read and so that they'd be a little warmer. All five of them were sharing a look of confusion, as Genis shifted to the last page. When they finished reading, they put the papers back, their looks of confusion only greater as they closed the file.

"What the...this file's completely useless!" Reid complained.

Raine looked at the file. "While I wouldn't call it 'useless', it doesn't really seem to be all that useful."

Genis sighed. "Yeah...but it's strange. This person...General Belladonna, that is, has no recorded past. No relatives, nothing. Just a name, a birthdate, the fact she was found in the ruins of Calamos by Valvus, Darius, and Tribilin, and that she has amnesia. After that, it's all stuff that's either not very imporant or things we already know already, such as how she fights. I guess it wasn't all that helpful anyway."

"Right. Well...if that's the case, then we should probably put it back in the drawer." Tear replied.

Genis nodded. He carefully picked up the file, walked back to the file cabinet, and opened it up. He put the file back, but tripped a little bit, falling forward as he grabbed into the drawer.

"Genis! Are you all right?!" Raine asked.

"Yeah...I'm fi...huh?" Genis started, but his face quickly became puzzled, his hand moving around the drawer. He tapped the drawer, and gasped in surprise.

Tear looked confused at what he was doing. "What's wrong, Genis?"

Genis turned to everyone else. "The bottom of the drawer...it's hollow!"

"H...Hollow? But that means..." Reid started.

Genis nodded. "Right. I think there's a secret latch right her in this drawer! Everyone, come here!"

The other nodded and complied, walking over to the drawer. Genis felt around the drawer entirely, and after a minute of feeling around, he felt a small latch of sorts on the opposite side of the drawer. He grabbed it, and to everyone's surprise, the bottom of the drawer opened up, revealing a secret drawer. Genis looked down into it for a second.

"Everyone! There's another file here!" Genis exclaimed. He grabbed the file, and pulled it out, carefully handing it to Raine, who took a look at the cover. The cover of the file read **STATE JEMUMMU RECOVERY: TOP SECRET: FOR GENERAL 5 CLASS ONLY**

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_Back on the battlefield..._

The battle between Alex and Belladonna was in progress, having gone on for over two minutes. Alex swung horizantally towards her, but Belladonna blocked him with her sword as she swung upwards quickly. Alex managed to shield himself in time, and jumped back as he performed a Demon Fang. Belladonna dodged the wave, and quickly lunged forward and thrust her sword at Alex. Alex then fell on his back in order to avoid the attack, and slashed at Belladonna's legs. Belladonna jumped up, and swung her blade downwards at Alex.

Alex managed to roll just in time, and got up and slashed at Belladonna while she recovered from her attack. He managed to get her in the left arm, causing her to grunt in pain. She then raised her blade, and slashed down at Alex, who managed to parry with his own sword. He then pushed her pack a bit, and thrust this sword. She jumped to the side, and swung at Alex, managing to hit him in the leg, causing him to cry out. He ignored the pain, and quickly thrust at Belladonna's sword, causing her to lose balance for a second.

Alex jumped up and used Rising Falcon, but Belladonna jumped back, and used Pollen Cyclone. Alex managed to use Guardian in time to shield himself from the tornado, but gasped when Belladonna came running up and thrust her sword at him. Alex jumped to the side, but Belladonna kicked up some of the dirt on the ground towards Alex's eyes, causing him to cover his eyes, only to see Belladonna in front of him, thrusting yet again. Alex shielded himself, and slashed horizantally, getting Belladonna across the chest, though her armor took most of the blow. Belladonna cringed, and then performed a technique.

"Blossom Burst!" Belladonna exclaimed. She slammed her sword towards Alex, forcing him to jump back, but to his surprise, the earth beneath him jumped up, and some blue energy hit him, causing him to cry out in pain. He grit his teeth, and then slashed at Belladonna. Belladonna dodged, and then jumped up, performing Sakura Storm, shooting the pink energy at Alex. Alex used Guardian, and then thrust straight at Belladonna, catching her off guard. He managed to hit a small bit of her waist, causing her to cry out in pain. They then continued the battle...

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_Five and a half hours earlier, back in Besos..._

The five were now reading the State Jemummu Recovery file, which, unlike Belladonna's file, had lots of information. Raine was reading the whole thing with shock and disgust, reading every sentence and treating it like it was venom. The same look of disgust seemed to fill the others faces, though not nearly as much as Raine, who was two pages away from finshing the file.

"How cruel..." Tear remarked.

Raine nodded. "Agreed. It's completely wrong for people to believe that they can just defy human will and right and force such a horrible thing upon a person."

Genis looked puzzled. "What I don't get, though, is why they did it? I mean, sure, it's not right to do something like that, but what do they gain? According to that last section, the condition was only done on one person. Why that one person?"

"Well, the section about the subject is the page after this one. Hold on a second...I'm done with this page, so I'll turn..." Raine started. As she turned the page, something suddenly slid out of the file. Raine picked it up, and suddenly gasped upon seeing it, her eyes widening...

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_The battlefield..._

Alex had now gained the advantage in the battle, having managed to get Belladonna on the defensive. He slashed quickly at Belladonna, who blocked with her sword, and she swung at Alex hard with a Lily Cleave. Alex managed to raise his shield, and deflected the attack with all his might. Belladonna gasped, and Alex thrust his blade at her waist. Belladonna then swung down, hitting Alex's sword in the air. Alex jumped back and lunged at Belladonna, who jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

Belladonna then jumped forward, and swung at Alex. Alex avoided, and swung downwards at her sword, causing her hands to shake for a second. Alex then swung horizantally, Belladonna barely blocking him with her gauntlets. Having waited for that, Alex smirked. He quickly raised his sword and cut across both of Belladonna's arms, Belladonna screaming out, dropping her sword and leaning back, her arms down. Alex suddenly noticed her helm was fully exposed.

_Her helm...there's nothing between me and it now! If I can shove my sword between one of the slits of her helm, I could impale her through the head and end this! Alright, here I go!_ Alex screamed out, and thrust his sword, which was line up perfectly with one of the slits on Belladonna's helm. Just as the blade made contact with the slit, Belladonna reacted, twisting her head a bit. The twist left Alex's sword jammed sideways between the slit on the helm, leaving a small crack. Alex gasped in surprise.

_Damn, my blade's stuck! I can't thrust it in any farther or get it out! I didn't feel it hit anything, so the blade must not have made contact with her flesh! Wait...is that a crack?! That's it! I may not be able to kill her, but if I keep swing horizontally, I can break her helm off, leaving her head fully exposed! _With that, Alex channeled all of his strength, and began swinging horizantally. The crack on the helm suddenly grew wider, and wider, until the cracks covered the entire helm. With a final yell, Alex swung with all his might, and the helm cracked right off into pieces...

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_Besos, earlier..._

Raine was looking the thing that had slid out of the file with absolute horror and shock, panting as her eyes were wide. She looked at the page of the file, and gasped loudly, dropping the object and the file. The others looked at the file page, and Arche quickly picked up the object. She gasped, and read the page with the same horror and shock Raine had. The other three looked at the page and object, and they gasped loudly, all five bodies shaking...

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_Battlefield..._

The cracked pieces of Belladonna's helm fell onto the dirty ground, and the sound of a sword and person falling onto the ground was heard moments after...

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_Besos..._

Genis slowly turned his head towards his sister. "R...R...R...R...Raine...This...this is..."

Raine didn't turn towards Genis, still in shock. "Yes, Genis. N...Now that I think about all of this, it makes perfect sense. But i...it's true. The...the subject of State Jemummu Recovery...the _person _in State Jemummu Recovery...is..."

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_Battlefield, Kiseki Fields..._

Alex had falled down, sitting on the ground. He had dropped his sword, his eyes and mouth both agape. His eyes were wide with horror, shock, and disbelief, and he was shaking all over. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as Alex started breathing deeply and quickly. He stood transfixed on the ground, as if he were paralyzed.

"NO! NO! IT CAN'T BE...IT CAN'T BE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT'S A LIE! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! IT CAN'T BE REAL! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! WHY!? WHY!? WHY?! THIS IS ALL A LIE! WHAT AM I DOING?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE...IT'S IMPOSSIBLE...IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!"

Crying heavily, Alex forced himself to look up one more time.

Standing right in front of him, her helm broken off, in the middle of the Kiseki Fields...

...

...

...

...was none other than Kanonno, staring at Alex with a cold glare...

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**So...that's it. Okay, maybe this WASN'T the best chapter ever, but the ending was a moment that I wanted to right since September of last year, nine months to this day. So there you have it...please read and review...**


	29. Chapter 28: Fighting For A Friend

**Hi everyone. Final Poke Mario Fan here, with the second part of the Kanonno mini-arc. Here it is**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 28: Fighting (For) A Friend

**A/N: For this chapter, the names "Belladonna" and "Kanonno" will both be used interchangably when describing the character. Just know that they are the same person.**

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_Last chapter..._

_Alex screamed out, and thrust his sword, which was line up perfectly with one of the slits on Belladonna's helm. Just as the blade made contact with the slit, Belladonna reacted, twisting her head a bit. The twist left Alex's sword jammed sideways between the slit on the helm, leaving a small crack. Alex gasped in surprise._

_With that, Alex channeled all of his strength, and began swinging horizontally. The crack on the helm suddenly grew wider, and wider, until the cracks covered the entire helm. With a final yell, Alex swung with all his might, and the helm cracked right off into pieces..._

_The cracked pieces of Belladonna's helm fell onto the dirty ground, and the sound of a sword and person falling onto the ground was heard moments after..._

_Alex had fallen down, sitting on the ground. He had dropped his sword, his eyes and mouth both agape. His eyes were wide with horror, shock, and disbelief, and he was shaking all over. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as Alex started breathing deeply and quickly. He stood transfixed on the ground, as if he were paralyzed._

_"NO! NO! IT CAN'T BE...IT CAN'T BE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! IT'S A LIE! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! IT CAN'T BE REAL! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! WHY!? WHY!? WHY?! THIS IS ALL A LIE! WHAT AM I DOING?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE...IT'S IMPOSSIBLE...IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!"_

_Crying heavily, Alex forced himself to look up one more time._

_Standing right in front of him, her helm broken off, in the middle of the Kiseki Fields..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_...was none other than Kanonno, staring at Alex with a cold glare..._

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_Kiseki Fields, Battlefield..._

"AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Alex screamed. He kept screaming and screaming over and over again, his eyes wide, causing Belladonna...no, _Kanonno_...to stare at him with confusion. Throughout the battlefield, everyone could here the anguished scream, and everyone looked around in confusion.

Kanonno kept staring at him, Alex looking over her face. Her face had matured. There was no real way to describe it, but her face just looked...older, that's what. Her light green eyes still gleamed the same way they had all those months ago, but they also had a dull look in them as well. Alex also noticed that Kanonno had cut off the two knotted parts of her hair that she once had, and she no longer wore that black hair ribbon with the bulb on it. However, her hair was still cut the same way it was back in the Gilgulim Crisis.

Suddenly, a soldier ran up to the two. He was surprised to see Belladonna's helm off, but he spoke quickly. "General Belladonna! We've recieved an important message from Master Valvus! Let's call an 18 hour ceasefire!"

Belladonna nodded. "Got it! Bring up the blue flag and yell 'Eighteen'!"

"Yes, General Belladonna!" The soldier replied. He saluted, and ran over to the camp. Seconds later, he ran out to the field with the flag, and yelled "Eighteen!" As soon as he said that, all of the soldiers lowered their weapons, staring at the flag. With that, Kratos came out to the soldier in the middle of the field, and he nodded in affirmation. The two units then stopped fighting and turned in opposite directions, the UFTW's camp having been partially set up.

Kanonno took a look at Alex. He was no longer screaming. Instead, he seemed to be staring into space with shocked and agape eyes, his mouth the same way. He was completely unresponsive to anything around him, as if he were lost in his own fantasy realm.

"Terresian Descender...it seems that we will have to postpone our battle yet again. But mark my words...I'll finish you off tommorow." Kannono said. She picked up her sword, sheathed it on her back, and walked off. Alex continued to stay sitting down on the ground, his body frozen. Just when she was out of sight, Eugene noticed Alex, and ran over to him.

"Alex! Are you alright? Alex? Alex! Damn it..." Eugene muttered, Alex having not seemed to noticed that Eugene was right next to him. Eugene tried to pull Alex up by his knees, but Alex just fell down immediately after as if he couldn't move. Seeing Alex's sword, Eugene grabbed it, put it in Alex's sheath, and began dragging Alex across the field, some of the other soldiers watching with curiosity. Lloyd came running up.

"Eugene! What's wrong with Alex?!" Lloyd exclaimed.

Eugene shook his head. "I'm not completely sure if I'm right or not...but I believe this is some sort of shell shock."

"Shell shock? What's that?" Lloyd asked.

A dark look passed by Eugene's face, clearly remembering something. "Shell shock is when...when a soldier tends to suffer a mental breakdown, often from something traumatic that they've witnessed. Most shell shocked soldiers tend to be in a world of their own, not reacting to anything around them. Most of them get better quickly, but some of them...some of them never come back..."

A shocked look fell of Lloyd's face. "No...no way."

"Like I said, it's only a guess of mine. However, I've seen it happen several times already, and that's what it looks like. Either way, we have to hurry to the healing mages to see if they can figure out what's wrong." Eugene replied.

"Right!" Lloyd replied, and he ran with Eugene as he dragged Alex across the field, who was still staring into space...

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
_Pascan camp..._

Kanonno walked into her tent, sitting down on her cot, waiting for Valvus to show up on one of Darius' blue light viewers. She sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing.

_A message for me right now? It came at the worst possible time, when the Terresian Descender was in a moment of weakness. The Terresian Descender...why was it that he fell to the ground and started screaming and shouting in some sort of denial after he broke off my helm? It just doesn't make any sense...the minute before that, he was perfectly fine, and if I had not twisted my head just in time, I would have died back there. Just who is that guy? And...it's strange, but...he seems to be somewhat familiar to me. But why? I've never had this feeling before, and besides, he's never been outside of Terresia before the war. There's no way he could be familiar to me...but still..._

Just then, Kanonno squinted as she saw the blue light starting to manifest before her eyes. She gasped as she realized she didn't have her helm on anymore, sighing as she realized she would have to explain it to Valvus. The light finally cleared up, and Valvus appeared right before her eyes. Upon seeing her, he suddenly gasped as he saw her helm was off.

"General Belladonna! Why...why don't you have your helmet on? You're supposed to keep it on at all times!" Darius' voice exclaimed, filled with shock.

Belladonna lowered her head. "...The Terresian Descender broke it off."

Valvus look of shook now transformed into a horrified look. "W...What!? When was this?"

"Just a few minutes ago, literally just before you called the temporary ceasefire. I was battling the Terresian Descender, when he managed to catch me off guard. He took his sword and thrust it towards my helm, managing to get it inside one of the slits but I managed to twist my head in time, so his sword was jammed into the helm. He then swung horizontally until finally, the helm broke. I apologize for my carelessness" Belladonna explained.

"I...I see...General Belladonna...tell me...do you...do you feel any different than you did earlier? Before the battle, I mean?" Valvus asked, sounding like he was trying to calm himself down.

Belladonna frowned. "'Different'? I...I don't really understand the question, but...no, I feel the same as I always have, both physically and mentally. Why do you ask?"

Valvus covered his mouth and took a deep breath, relaxing. "No, uh, it's nothing. I was just worried that maybe you had been shocked by the fact that the Terresian Descender almost impaled you through the head. Speaking of the Terresian Descender, did he...did he act any different after he had broken off your helm earlier?"

_Why are you asking me these questions, Master Valvus? _"Well, now that you mention it...it was one of the strangest things that I've witnessed in my life. As soon as he broke the helm off, he fell to the ground, and started shouting and screaming while talking to himself. I didn't quite catch all of what he said, but he generally said things like 'It's impossible'. After that, he started screaming, then suddenly he seemed to blank out, as if he were a machine that had been shut off after running on full power." Belladonna answered, holding back a frown.

"Hmm...well, in any case, it's good to see that you're all right. How are things holding up on the battlefield?" Darius asked.

Belladonna thought for a minute. "From what I saw, the battle looks like it could go either way now. The UFTW has superior numbers, but we have more experienced soldiers. At the beginning of the battle, we suceeded in heavily crippling their cavalry, but they recovered rather quickly. Like I said, we'll have to wait until tommorow to see the results of the battle. Anyway, what was it that you contacted me for?"

"Right. I contacted you to inform you that your unit has a new assignment. We've discovered that a rebel uprising is currently going on in the town of Gernicamo. These rebels have been confirmed by one of our agents to be part of the same rebel group that is supporting the UFTW. You are to weed out the rebels and destroy the rebels, and if it comes to it, the town itself." Valvus explained.

Belladonna's face fell, gasping. "You mean...the Rugen tactics! But...didn't you say that you would never use them again after they were used on the city of Rugen? After all, it was that incident that caused Colonel S..."

"Believe me, General Belladonna, if I could avoid using the Rugen tactics again, I would. But what I haven't mentioned yet is that the entire town seems involved with the rebel movement. They've used propaganda to trick our fellow countrymen and have turned them into our enemies! We cannot allow their influence to spread to the neighboring towns! We need to stop them as soon as possible!" Valvus exclaimed, having a pained look on his face.

"...I understand, Master Valvus." Belladonna reluctantly replied. _Master Valvus...even with that knowledge, it still doesn't feel right to destroy an entire city to bring down a rebel uprising. But an order's an order, and I owe you everything._

Valvus nodded. "Good to hear. You will initiate this operation as soon as you've finished up with the UFTW here. Oh, and General Belladonna, there's one more thing."

"What's that?" Belladonna asked.

"Tommorow, once the ceasefire has ended...kill the Terresian Descender for good. No playing around any more. He is becoming a dangerous threat, and must not be allowed to live any longer. Understood, General Belladonna?" Valvus ordered.

Belladonna seemed to lighten up a little bit from that. "Understood, Master Valvus. I will put an end to him once and for all."

"Glad to hear it. Be careful out there." Valvus answered, and the blue light viewer faded from view...

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_Lavard..._

As soon as Darius had cut off the connection from Belladonna, Valvus leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, and sighed. He quickly took a sip from some red wine lying next to him, and turned to Darius. Both of them had a grim look on their face.

"This is not good." Darius began.

Valvus nodded. "Yeah...judging from what Belladonna told us about the Terresian Descender's reaction, he clearly knows that General Belladonna is Kanonno. I'm glad State Jemummu Recovery didn't awaken with her, but with this new knowledge in his mind, I predict that tommorow, the Terresian Descender will be reluctant to fight. We need to contact Tribilin right now, and ask him about the effects that the Terresian Descender could possibly have on State Jemummu Recovery before it's too late."

"Yes, Master Valvus. I'll open a link to him in a minute." Darius replied. He then started focusing, and brought up another blue light viewer for him and Valvus. They saw Tribilin, who was currently sitting in a room somewhere. He noticed the blue light, then sighed and turned around, giving a sarcastic grin. Ever since Tribilin's imprisonment for a month, he had been more sarcastic than ever with Valvus.

"Oh? For what reason have I been honored to speak in the prescence of you, Valvus?" Tribilin sarcastically remarked.

Valvus ignored Tribilin's remark. "Tribilin. We have an issue here. The Terresian Descender managed to knock off Belladonna's helmet in the last battle, and he instantly recognized her. Fortunately, State Jemummu Recovery has not awoken in her...yet. However, if the Terresian Descender fights her again, he will probably do all he can in order to make her recover from it. Tribilin, you were the one who caused State Jemummu Recovery and developed the theory for it, so tell me: is there any way for the Terresian Descender to break it?"

"Well, well, now you're asking for my help?" Tribilin commented, then turned serious, a rare sight for people who knew Tribilin. "Very well. The theory for State Jemummu Recovery is that it's supposed to be a nearly impregnable lock. However, I have realized that there is one way to break it. In order to break State Jemummu Recovery, the subject must see something important to them that is also important to someone special to subject. If the subject does not have an important person, however, then there is no way for the subject to break free from State Jemummu Recovery."

"What do you mean by 'something important' to the subject and someone else?" Darius' voice asked.

Tribilin sighed, rolling his eyes. "I mean something like a memento between the two people. Something that holds a powerful memory to both the subject and to the person who is important to the subject. Mementos are disgusting things, but they are powerful to the brain...those are the kinds of memories that can't be held back once the memento is seen. If the subject sees the memento, then the so called 'lock' that State Jemummu Recovery forms will be broken down in a matter of seconds, as the memento acts like a key."

Valvus shifted his head. "What about words? What if this 'someone special' tries reminding the subject of memories?"

Tribilin got into his usual malicious grin. "Useless. Absolutely useless. Words cannot bring back someone who's mind is bound up so much. It's the equivalent of trying to destroy a diamond with an ordinary kitchen knife. People react much better to seeing something than they do hearing something. After all, you know what they say 'seeing is believing'. But still, it will be very amusing to hear about this...the Terresian Descender won't know about mementos, he'll be trying to use words...and then Belladonna will kill him. Ha ha ha ha ha ha...such an epic tragedy that will be heard for the rest of the war! Not even Shakesphere from that planet, Earth, could ever have written a tragedy as great as this!"

"...In any case, we've gotten all the information we need from you right now, Tribilin. Darius, cut the link from Tribilin now." Valvus said. Seconds later, the blue light viewer displaying Tribilin disappeared from sight, leaving Valvus and Tribilin alone in an awkward silence.

Darius decided to break the ice. "...Master Valvus, what's your view on the situation?"

"It's complicated. While the Terresian Descender doesn't know about the 'memento' which can break State Jemummu Recovery, there is a small chance that he could find a memento to break it. However, 'Belladonna' right now is loyal to me. If she awakens as 'Kanonno', then we'll have no choice but to kill her. We'll stick to the original plan and use the Silver Knights all at once to kill her. However, if the entire unit is wiped out tommorow, then there will be no way to summon them to her location." Valvus explained.

Darius frowned at that before speaking up. "...I see. I sincerely hope that State Jemummu Recovery does not awaken in her and that 'Belladonna' will stay with us the way she is now. I...I truly care for her...she reminds me a lot of..."

"I've been meaning to ask you something about that for a while, Darius. I didn't want to bring it up because it might sound a bit rude to you, but I'll ask you anyway. Who do you truly see 'Belladonna' as to you? Do you truly see her as her own individual and care for her? Or maybe it's a small hope for redemption for yourself? Which one, Darius?" Valvus asked.

"...I...I don't know. I can't figure it out. I...I don't want to think of her as such...but...but..." Darius started, his voice sounding a bit strained.

Valvus raised his hand. "Nevermind it for now, then. I understand it's painful to think about. Darius. Pull up another viewer for Siltran. There's something I must discuss with him regarding what to do if State Jemummu Recovery awakens..."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_Back at the UFTW camp, two hours and twenty minutes later..._

Alex was sitting on the ground of his tent, stuck in the same position he was earlier. His eyes were wide, rarely blinking, his mouth was agape, and he seemed to stare into nothingness. He didn't notice the Ad Libitum members, who were standing around him, glancing at him with a worried glance. Several healing mages were also standing nearby him. Kratos then glanced at the other Ad Libitum members, then motioned the mages to leave the tent, to which they nodded and then walked away.

"So...what happened to Alex?" Colette asked, concerned.

Jade stepped forward. "Well, I talked to the healing mages...and it seems that Eugene was correct. Alex is currently undergoing a state what we call catatonia."

"...Catatonia?" Stahn remarked, confused.

Jade nodded. "Yes. Catatonia is a state that can be caused by a variety of things, but in Alex's case, it looks like it was from extreme shock. In this case of catatonia, the person will usually hold positions like this for hours, and he won't respond to anything around him. Like I said, this should only last a few hours, but I've seen times where people have been stuck like this for days...and some of them go into comas."

Everyone gasped at this, silent until Luke spoke up. "Is...is there anything we can do to help him?"

"Unfortunately, no. If we were at a fully stocked medical center, we may have been able to use some drugs to calm him down, but we don't have anything of the sort here. The best course of action would be to wait for him to calm down, but if he's not better by tommorow, then we're grounding him for the next battle. In that case, we'll simply pick someone else to lead the cavalry." Jade replied.

Kratos nodded. "Agreed. Alex is just another soldier. We don't need him for tommorow's battle."

Eugene frowned. "Still...something confuses me. What was it that caused Alex to fall into this state? It certainly wasn't the hidden gunpowder exploding right in front of him, because I saw him get up after that."

"I didn't see anything either. I think I heard Alex scream near the end of the battle, but I was so occupied with fighting, then I had to deal with the ceasefire, so by the time I had finished with the ceasefire, I forget all about it." Kratos replied.

Everyone else nodded, all of them claiming that they were too caught up in the fighting to hear the scream. Just then, a soldier came running into the tent.

"General Aurion! Our scouts have spotted Sergeant Klaine, Lieutenant Hershel, Sergeant Grants, and Corporal and Lieutenant Sage headed this way on horseback!" The soldier reported.

"Huh? Why did they come here? I thought I ordered them to stay in the castle." Kratos remarked, confused.

The soldier shook his head. "I...I don't know, sir! But they'll be entering the grounds any second no..."

Before the soldier could finish, Arche, Reid, Tear, Raine, and Genis all ran in the tent, their faces filled with terror. In Raine's hand was the file for State Jemummu Recovery.

"Everyone? What's wrong? Has Besos been attacked or something?" Lloyd asked, prepared for the worse.

Raine shook her head. "No, nothing like that...but we've discovered something horrible! We need to tell all of you...but most importantly, Alex needs to know about it! Where is Alex?"

A grim look fell on everyone's faces, as they motioned towards Alex. The five all gasped in shock when they looked at him, and immediately looked towards Kratos for an explanation.

"...Catatonia." Kratos merely stated, the grim look still on his face.

Raine, Genis, and Tear all gasped in horror, while Arche and Reid merely stared in confusion. Kratos sighed and began to explain...

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_Alex's subconscious..._

_Alex was floating in a strange, pitch black realm. He was curled up into a fetal position, and seemed to be spinning around and around in the realm, rolling up and down slowly. He opened his eyes and took a look around the realm, confused. Suddenly, a white light pierced the darkness, destroying it and creating a blank white realm instead. Alex stood up, and saw Prophet floating in front of him, his arms crossed._

_"Hello once again, Alex. We have come to see you after today's battle. We thought that your reaction to what you found out today would be bad, but we didn't expect you to fall into catatonia..." Prophet started._

_Alex suddenly broke out of his silent, vegetable state, and quickly became angry. "What I found out today?! Wait a minute...Prophet...you knew all along, didn't you!? You knew that Belladonna was Kanonno this whole time, right!? RIGHT!?"_

_Prophet lowered his head, somewhat ashamed. "...We learned about it around the time that you captured Castle Arcos."_

_"WHY?! Why didn't you tell me, Prophet!? Fighting Kanonno...that's the _last _thing I wanted to do!" Alex exclaimed, angry as tears welled up in his eyes._

_Prophet looked at Alex seriously. "Think about it for a moment, Alex. If we had told you that Belladonna was Kanonno after you took Castle Arcos, tell us, what would you have done? Would have stayed put like the way you were? Or would you blindly rush through all of Pasca just to find her, ignoring all the other dangers you faced?"_

_Alex froze. Prophet was right, he _would _have after Kanonno if he knew who she was a long time ago. "I just...I just...I just don't get it, Prophet! Why did she fight me?! She knew that I was the Terresian Descender all along, so she should have known it was me! What did...what did I do...to deserve contempt from Kanonno? It can't be...it just can't be!"_

_"..." Prophet was silent for the Alex's outburst._

_"...Please. Prophet, please...help me! I don't know what to do! I can't fight Kanonno! I want us to go back to the way we used to be! Prophet, you've always helped me in the past. Now, I need your help more than ever. Help me...I'm begging you...tell me what to do in order to get out of this situation...a way where I can be with Kanonno again..." Alex begged, falling on his knees._

_"...I will not." Prophet merely replied._

_Alex gasped loudly. "What!? Why not!? Prophet, I can't do this alone! I feel so damn helpless right now! I'm begging you from the bottom of my heart for you to help me, only for you to reject me?! Why is this time different from any other time you've seen me?!"_

_Prophet shook his head. "You're wrong, Alex. This is something only you can do. We cannot give you any advice for this. We told you about this a long time ago, did we not? This is the 'trial' you must go through. You must question who you really are. Are you a loyal soldier of the UFTW? Are you Kanonno's best friend? Are you merely the Descender of Terresia? Or...are you a coward? If you cannot pass this trial, then you'll never learn how to overcome your own problems. Farewell, Alex. You must do this alone."_

_"Wait! Prophet! Come back!" Alex exclaimed. However, Prophet then immediately faded from sight, and the white room seemed to fade out, Alex getting sucked out of his subconscious..._

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_The real world..._

"...Kanonno..."

Everyone in the tent gasped as they heard Alex speak. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, then tears started flowing down his eyes again. He started breathing rapidly, and moved his head to the left, talking to himself. He was so caught up he didn't even notice his friends were standing to his right.

"...A...Alex? Are you all right?" Reid started, trying to get Alex to notice them.

Alex gasped at hearing Reid's voice, and turned to his right, surprised to see everyone. A few seconds later, he looked back towards the ground and continued to cry. "...Kanonno...why?"

"Alex? I...I know you only just regained your senses, but...what was it that caused you to act that way? Whatever it was, it was definately out of the ordinary for you to go into that much shock." Eugene asked.

Alex paused for a full minute, still crying, thinking about how he was supposed to tell everyone the truth. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he mustered every ounce of courage he had and spoke up. "Belladonna is...Belladonna...Belladonna's true...i...identity is...K...K...BELLADONNA WAS KANONNO THIS WHOLE TIME!"

With the exception of Raine, Genis, Arche, Reid, and Tear, everyone gasped in shock and horror as Alex burst out the truth. Alex couldn't hold back any longer, and burst in full sobs, lying on the ground, asking himself "why?!".

"...You're...you're joking, right? You must be joking. There's no way...no way Kanonno would ever do something like that...right? Right?" Rutee asked in disbelief, though she could see from Alex's reaction this was no joke.

Raine remained silent for a full minute, then stepped forward towards Alex, holding the file. "...Alex. Calm down for a minute, and read this file. Everyone, we found this file in a secret military archive in Besos. It contains important information concerning General Bellado...Kanonno, I mean. Things are much worse then they appear to be."

Alex calmed down, wiped his tears away, and opened the State Jemummu Recovery file. His eyes suddenly become horrified once he read the full contents, gasping. The file read (A/N: The real file would take too long to write, so most of this would be as if the file were written in an abridged format):

**PROJECT 456: STATE JEMUMMU RECOVERY (Dated 1/4/98)**

**COMMISIONER: EMPEROR VALVUS GODEN**

**PROJECT DIRECTOR: GENERAL/DOCTOR TRIBILIN HEMOSES**

**DATE OF INITIATION: MIXIS 5, 1597**

**SUBJECT: PASCAN DESCENDER KANONNO**

**Part I: PROJECT HISTORY**

**State Jemummu Recovery first officially began on 2/17/97, when the Pascan Descender, Kanonno, was subdued and captured at the World Tree by Emperor Valvus Goden, General Darius Izas, General Tribilin Hemoses, and Colonel Siltran Deus. The subject was then transferred to Lavard, and was studied on for three months, used to make developements in magic weaponry for ordinary soldiers. The thinking process took about a month, and on 7/12/97, State Jemummu Recovery was successfully performed.**

**Part 2: Project Objective**

**The main goal of the project was to influence Kanonno into working for the Pascan Empire by causing a forced amnesia on her, effectively transforming her into "General Belladonna".**

**Part 3: Procedure**

**In State Jemummu Recovery, first, a combination of several drugs are used in order to bring the subject into a dazed state. Next, several status spells used by healing mages are used in order to open the brain up. After that, Dr. Tribilin Hemoses felt around the brain and struck the memory section of the brain combined with a paralysis spell. With this method, Dr, Tribilin Hemoses was able to successfully select the parts of the brain he wanted to. Effectively, this procedure causes a forced amnesia on the subject.**

**Part 4: Subject Data**

**  
Name: Kannono**

**Age: 15**

**Sex: Female**

**Hair Color: Pink**

**Eye Color: Green**

**Blood Type: B**

**Subject was very resistant when brought in, calmed down after repeated interrogations by General Tribilin Hemoses. Remained silent during most of captivity afterwards, could occasionally be heard saying the word "Alex" to herself. Detained at the Lavard Research Facility for five months. Was used to transfer small amount of energy in the Ruins of Jezid while unconscious.**

**END REPORT**

"No...no way...So Kanonno was...forced to have amnesia?" Alex asked, staring up at Raine with horrified eyes.

Raine nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. They sealed off all her memories and then, while she was unconscious, they brought her to the ruins of Calamos and left her there. When she woke up, they reappeared there, pretending to save her when in reality, they came to pick her up. The file also says that Valvus told Kanonno that her name was Belladonna and her family had been killed by, ironically, Kanonno herself. This angered Kanonno enough into her agreeing to join Valvus as once of his top three generals. Of course, this means she has forgotten us completely."

_And the one in charge of this project was...Tribilin. _Alex thought, gripping the paper with extreme rage, nearly breaking it in half. _Damn you! Damn you, Tribilin! The file says you "interrogated" Kanonno...you bastard! I never thought I could hate him more than I already do, but apparently, I can! And you, Valvus...you're the one behind all of this! You took Kanonno away and forced her to go through this project and other experimentation...I'll never forgive you!_

Silence filled the entire tent, everyone shocked by the recent turn of events. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Genis spoke up. "What...what are we going to do now? We can't kill Kanonno, but it's not just like we can give up right now!"

"Damn it!" Lloyd cursed.

Everyone else stood there, trying to think of something, until Alex finally spoke up. "...Kratos. Is General Yaciel still here?"

Kratos seemed a little confused by the question, but he nodded. "Yes, but why?"

"Make him the lead general of the cavalry for tommorow's battle. Tommorow...I'll be fighting as a common soldier." Alex replied.

"...You're going after Kanonno, aren't you?" Chester asked.

"...Yeah. I won't let Kanonno stay like this any longer. I'll do everything I can to ensure that she recovers her memory! I don't care how much pain she puts me through or how painful it may be for me to fight her, but I assure all of you, I _will _get Kanonno's memory back! But...I need you guys' help. I can't get close to her alone. I need you guys to help me to make sure that I can reach her safely, then I'll try talking to her. I...I could die if I'm not too careful. That's why I need you all to secure a path for me, alright. It's a selfish request, I know that. But I need all of you to help me get our friend back! Will you help me?" Alex announced.

Chester paused for a second, and nodded. "Alex. I will do everything I can to help you. Kanonno's my friend too, but if any one of us can bring her back, it's you. I trust you, Alex."

"Yeah! I'll help too! I won't allow Kanonno to stay like that!" Arche added.

"I respect you and Kanonno greatly. You both have given everything you have just to save the worlds, and have asked for nothing in return. I will lend you my aid as well, Alex." Garr said.

Everyone else then gave a reply that they'd help Alex, and cheered out for him.

Alex gazed at them shocked, breaking out into tears. "Everyone...thank you...thank you!"

_How could I have rejected these people?! They care for me greatly, and are now putting their lives on the line so that I can save Kanonno! Even though I'm going to die at the end of the war, is it really necessary for me to keep rejecting these people? I've been so distant towards them, and they are all willing to help me! I couldn't have asked for greater friends...if only Mormo were still alive and with me now, things would be even better! I promise you, Kanonno...I will save you!_

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_The next morning, 8:30..._

Both the UFTW and the Pascans were standing at edges of their respective camps, waiting for the battle. Heavy storm clouds gathered above the battlefield, and the cold temperature suggested that today would see the first snow for the Pascan winter. The 18 hour ceasefire was about to end, and the ceasefire flag was still standing in the center of the field. On the Pascan side of the field, an archer with a flaming arrow stood at the ready, waiting for the signal to fire his arrow at the flag to end the ceasefire. Alex stood at the front of the field next to Kratos and the other Ad Libitum members, looking for Kanonno as he scanned the crowd, though he was shaking in nervousness while looking.

Suddenly, Kratos whispered into Alex's ear. "Alex, I found her. She's in the back of the far left side of the battlefield."

Alex nodded. "Alright. Kratos, could you please tell the other Ad Libitum members of this information?"

"Alright." Kratos replied. He began whispering into the ears of the Ad Libitum members, and they all passed it along to the other Ad Libitum members, nodding as they readied themselves. Alex readied his sword, and both sides kept waiting, making eye contact with one another. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a general walked up to the archer and spoke to him. The archer nodded, and fired the flaming arrow, which crashed into the ceasefire flag, reducing it to ashes in seconds.

Both sides roared out, and charged at each other, weapons ready. Like yesterday, there wasn't much strategy involved in the battle, as the terrain was too flat to allow for much strategy. Most of the soldiers simply charged at each other, slashing enemies or hitting them with arrows and magic. However, Alex's group was like a freight train, smashing through the lines in a straight path as they cut down anyone in their way.

Alex raised his sword, and cut down an enemy, barely dodging another enemy's sword. Chester then fired an arrow, hitting that soldier in the neck. They continued onward, and Genis began attacking the soldiers on the side of the party with his magic, cutting them down. The archers and a few of the swordsmen acted as the rear guard, fighting of enemies trying to back attack them. The healers stayed in the center and healed any of the Ad Libitum members who got hurt. Those who didn't fall in these molds generally stayed in the front, fighting off enemies. By three minutes through, they were halfway towards Kanonno...

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_Another dimension..._

Prophet floated in the dark realm he stood in, watching the battle from below. After another three minutes had passed, he looked up.

"_The true trial...has begun..._" The deep voice stated.

"..._Please, Alex. Save Kanonno...I don't...I don't want to lose her again...not like last time..._" The high-pitched voice muttered, full of concern...

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_Back on the battlefield..._

By now, Kanonno was in plain sight, cutting down UFTW left and right. Alex started running towards her with all his speed, looking back at the others.

"Don't worry, Alex! We'll be fine! Now, go and save Kanonno!" Chester exclaimed.

"Right!" Alex replied. He beheaded an enemy soldier, and then swiftly dodged another enemy, chopping his arm off and then impaling him through the chest. He quickly used a Spreading Chaos, shooting five shockwaves that disabled five enemies. He then took the sword of one of the dead soldiers and threw it through another enemies' neck. Alex ran up towards Kanonno, and she spotted him. She then gave off a small grin, and quickly finished off the UFTW soldier she was battling and met up with Alex, her sword ready.

"So, Terresian Descender...we meet once again on the battlefield. I told you yesterday that I would finish this tommorow, and I am true to my word. Prepare yourself." Kanonno started.

Alex gulped, his eyes filled with sadness. "Please...Kanonno! I don't want to fight you!"

Upon hearing those words, Kanonno gave Alex a look of confusion. "'Kanonno'? You mean the Pascan Descender? Just what the hell are you talking about?"

"Kanonno, please, you've got to remember me...remember us! Don't you remember all those times we spent together back in Terresia?" Alex pleaded, staring at Kanonno in desperation.

Kanonno frowned at Alex. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, if you're done, let's fight."

"No! Stop! Don't you remember the time when I rescued you from Ganser? The time where you told me about your past and then fought me even when I told you I couldn't fight you? The time where you, me, and Mormo were in the Terresian World Tree? We made a promise back then, Kanonno. We made a promise that we'd all see each other again someday! Don't you remember any of it?"

Kanonno's confusion turned into a look of disgust. "Oh, I get it now, Terresian Descender. You learned about my amnesia, didn't you? You're just trying to take advantage of it and pretend that you and I used be friends in order to trick me, aren't you? Well I have one thing to tell you, Terresian Descender. That is absolutely one of the _sickest _things someone could do to someone else! I'll admit, I had a bit of respect for you, Terresian Descender, but that so called respect is all gone right now! Now you've given me even _more _reason for me to kill you!"

Those words hit Alex like a sword to the gut, as he gasped in despair. "No..."

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_Far away..._

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh my Avoli! That was _so _touching. 'Don't you remember?' 'Kanonno, please,' 'I don't want to fight you'. Heheheheheheheheheheh! This is so hilarious! This is the best drama I've ever seen! A tragedy that will be forever remembered! This is even more fun than when I dissected the Yaoon Descender!" Tribilin laughed. He, Valvus, Darius, and Siltran were all watching the scene from around Pasca through Darius' blue light viewers. Needless to say, Tribilin was enjoying himself, lying down on a bed...

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_Back at the battlefield..._

"Now then, Terresian Descender, I have no more words for you. Draw your sword." Kanonno finished.

Alex looked at his sword, panicking over what he should do. He looked back towards Kanonno, then the sword, and then he noticed his arm was shaking more than a man on a bed during a earthquake. He then remembered Prophet's words.

_"This is the 'trial' you must go through. You must question who you really are. Are you a loyal soldier of the UFTW? Are you Kanonno's best friend? Are you merely the Descender of Terresia? Or...are you a coward? If you cannot pass this trial, then you'll never learn how to overcome your own problems."_

Alex then stood there for what seemed like forever, Kanonno impatiently waiting. Finally, he raised his sword and...

...

...

...

...then he sheathed it, raising his shield.

_Prophet..._this_ is the path I choose._

Kanonno looked at him in shock for a minute before looking at him in anger. "What the...what the hell are you doing!? I said fight me, didn't I?! Then why did you sheath your sword and raise you shield?! You've never had a problem attacking me in the past, Terresian Descender! Then fight me with all you've got! Or are you some sort of coward?"

Alex shook his head, and gave a sad smile towards Kanonno. "Kanonno...I can't fight you. Ironic, that I had to say the words that I thought I'd never have to say again. But Kanonno, even if you've lost your memory, even if you're pointing your blade towards me...that doesn't change the fact that you're my friend, Kanonno. You are my best friend, and friends should never have to fight each other. Even...even if this is war...even if we're on opposing sides...even if you don't remember me...I'm your friend, and nothing can erase all those memories we forged together."

Kanonno at this point had lost her cool. "I've told you before, Terresian Descender, I don't know what you're talking about. Now then, if you're done talking, then let's finish this once and for all!"

"Stop, Kanonno!" Alex shouted, tears running down his eyes once again. Kanonno shook her head, and charged straight for Alex, her sword ready, and Alex raised his shield, ready to defend.

(A/N: From this point on, please play the saddest music you know for these following scenes. You can pick anything you want, but for me, I played _hepatica-KOS-MOS_ from Xenosaga Episode III when writing this scene.)

Kanonno swung down on her blade, and Alex blocked it with his shield. Kanonno then swung sideways, but then feinted and thrust forward. Alex jumped out of the way, but was surprised to see Kanonno kick him in the stomach. As he recoiled, Kanonno swung horizontally towards him, but Alex managed to block her in time. Kanonno then followed up with a Petal Dance, but Alex gracefully dodged every part of the attack. He tried calling out to Kanonno, but it proved to be of no use as she swung diagonally at him.

Alex hit the sword with his shield, and pushed back with all his strength as both combantants fell a few feet backwards. Kanonno charged once again, and slashed quickly vertically, managing to nick Alex's arm. Alex grunted, but he didn't stop defending, with the sounds of the other forces battling around then charging out. Alex then ran around Kanonno's right side, calling out to her again. Frustrated, Kanonno used Blossom Burst, but knowing what was to come, Alex used Guardian, managing to take most of the blow away, completely avoiding the shockwave from the earth.

Alex then jumped backwards, shouting out to Kanonno. Kanonno ignored Alex and used Rose Cross, slicing Alex vertically, then horizontally, then forming the energy circle with the crossed shaped energy shooting upwards. Alex got hit by every part of the attack, but he simply grinned and bared it as he landed on the ground, still holding up the shield. Frustrated with Alex's attitude, Kanonno thrust her sword at Alex, but he merely rolled out of the way, lying on the ground. Kanonno sliced downwards towards Alex, but Alex shielded himself in time, pushing Kanonno back, getting off the ground.

Kanonno then swung her blade horizontally, but Alex blocked the blow with his shield, jumping backwards. Kanonno then jumped in the air and swung her sword down, but Alex managed to run out of the way, waiting for her to get up. He called out once again, but Kanonno ignored him and slashed in an X shape. Alex jumped back to avoid it, but Kanonno then used Nightshade Raid, jumping up and hitting Alex in the other arm. Alex cringed as he felt the poison surge his body, but he quickly drank a Panacea Bottle, purging the poison, throwing it away in time to block another on of Kanonno's slashes.

Kanonno then slashed upwards quickly, catching Alex off guard, then quickly swinging vertically, hitting Alex across the waist. Alex screamed out in pain, the stress of the battle getting to him. Remembering his resolve, he kept his shield raised, and called out towards Kanonno. Getting angrier, Kanonno thrust her sword at Alex, but Alex simply jumped backwards again. Kanonno then readied a Lily Cleave, swinging at Alex with all her strength. Thinking fast, Alex rolled to the side, just barely avoiding the attack.

As Alex got up, Kanonno managed to hit him in the leg, causing him to cry out in pain. He did his best to ignore it, and managed to block another one of Kanonno's slashes. Seeing Alex was nearly worn out, Kanonno swung at him really hard, which Alex managed to block, though he could feel his stamina fading away. He stood there, panting for a few seconds. He then looked up at Kanonno's face again, and he felt despair once again.

"Kanonno, please, listen to me! Please tell me that you remember something! Anything! You can't...you can't...you can't truly be gone!" Alex cried out, his eyes dry of tears.

Kanonno glared at Alex with frustration once more. "Terresian Descender, I think that that's enough out of you. I've said it once, and I'll say it yet again: I have no idea what you're talking about."

Alex glanced at her with frustration. "That's because of your so called 'condition'! You know, 'State Jemummu Recovery'?!"

Kanonno gasped in shock. "How did...How did you know about that?"

"I read the file, Kanonno! I know the truth that you don't know! 'State Jemummu Recovery' is nothing more than the codename that refers to the condition that Tribilin infilicted upon you that Valvus commissioned! He sealed away your memories! After all of that, are you still going to tell me that you still don't remember a thing?!" Alex shouted, panting.

"...You're lying. You must be lying. There's no way Master Valvus would do something like that. And even if it were true, so what? What good does it do to me whatsoever? My past is nothing worth remembering! My loyalites are, and always will, lie with Master Valvus!" Kanonno exclaimed, knowing in her head this was probably another trick by the Terresian Descender.

Alex shook his head. "That's nothing more than a huge lie! You have to remember, Kanonno! Remember everything we've been through together, all the good, and all the bad!"

Kanonno lost it at this point. "SHUT THE HELL UP! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR DAMN NONSENSE! I HAVE NO WORTHWHILE MEMORIES! TERRESIAN DESCENDER, YOU CAN JUST GO AHEAD RIGHT NOW AND GO TO HELL!"

Alex was startled when Kanonno jumped forward, her sword ready. Alex gasped when he saw her sword glowing red, knowing what that meant.

"YUNANATE BLAST!"

Alex tried to raise his shield, but it was too late. The sword made contact with the edge of his shield close to his chest and caused an explosion. Alex screamed as he felt pain all over his body as he flew back and crashed into the ground, skidding. The blue crystal on the end of the necklace Alex had behind his armor flew up. While the necklace remained on his neck, the crystal landed on top of Alex's armor, in plain visible sight now. Blood flew from Alex's mouth as he landed, and Alex knew he had suffered too many wounds to get up.

Kanonno then walked over towards Alex triumphant, her sword in both hands. She then glanced down at Alex from above. "Well then, Terresian Descender, our battles have finally reached their conclusion. Any last words?"

"...Kanonno..." Alex muttered, staring at her face to what he believed to be the last time. A sad, pained look filled his face as he looked up

_This is the end for me. I failed. All that talk, and I failed. Everyone else believed in me, and I let them down. I couldn't even save Kanonno...though at least she's not hurt. Forgive me, everyone...I was foolish to ask all of you to help me, such a weakling. Goodbye, everyone...Mormo...I was hoping to see you once again, but how can I look at you when I couldn't save our friend?_

Kanonno simply sighed, and raised her sword, ready to plunge it into Alex's heart. Suddenly, something caught her eye.

"What's this? A blue crystal?" Kanonno asked herself in surprise, glancing at the beautiful blue crystal. Suddenly, she felt some sort of extreme pain in her head, and gripped it in while grunting in pain, and she let out a cry.

At that moment, snow began to fall beautifully on the Kiseki Plains, quiet and serene in the battlefield...

Suddenly, after what seemed to be a minute, Kanonno stopped clutching her head. She shook her head in confusion, and looked at Alex in shock, who was staring at her sadly. She gasped for a second, and looked down at her own sword, which was coated with Alex's blood. She gasped, and threw the sword to the ground, the snow falling down on it. She then kneeled down towards Alex, and glanced into his eyes, green and blue meeting.

"...Alex?" Kanonno finally choked out, her voice trembling and her eyes watering.

Alex gasped. _Up...up until now, Kanonno's always called me the "Terresian Descender". But this time...does this mean?_

"Kanonno..." Alex replied, his voice filled with shock.

Upon hearing that, Kanonno couldn't hold back anything any longer, and began crying loudly. She fell to the ground, and began sobbing, the snow still falling serenely. Alex looked at her through all the pain, and she glanced at the ground, refusing to look up.

"...I...I...I...I re...remem...ber..." Kanonno cried out, still sobbing. A second later, she let out a bloodcurling scream, similar to Alex's the day before, with everyone looking around in confusion.

Through all the pain, Alex managed to smile, and for the first time in a while, broke out into tears of joy. "Kanonno...I'm so glad...I'm so glad...that you're back..."

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_Another dimension..._

Prophet still floated watching this, smiling heavily.

"_..._" The deep voice was speechless, watching all of this in stunned silence.

"_Alex...you did it...you saved Kanonno...thank you...I was so worried about you two..." _The high-pitched voice stated, and it was clear he was crying in joy.

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_Shortly afterwards...  
_

The battle for the Kiseki Plains had ended. Not a single Pascan soldier was left standing, all dead. Alex and Kanonno were still in the same places they had been before. All this time, Alex noted that Kanonno had never looked at him in the face since she regained her memory. Seconds later, soldiers ran up to Alex, and Jade was leading them, ordering the soldiers not to attack Kanonno. Jade glanced down, and stared at Alex.

"My my, Alex, you look like a bull just ran through you several times." Jade commented.

Alex smiled. "Yeah...but in the end, it was all worth it."

Jade glanced down at Kanonno. "...Is this Kanonno?"

"Yeah...she finally regained her memory! I'm so happy..." Alex replied, still smiling.

Jade nodded. "I see. Soldiers, place her in captivity. When we return to Besos, she is to be placed in the dungeons."

"WHAT!?" Alex screamed, shocked at Jade. Kanonno merely nodded, and the soldiers bound her arms, Kanonno not even putting up a fight. She walked away with them, and several medics came seconds later towards Alex, who kept screaming Kanonno's name as she was taken away to the captivity wagon...

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**Well, that's it! I've got to say, this is my favorite chapter so far! But just wait...the Kanonno mini-arc's not done yet! That's all for tonight! Please read and review!**

**PS- I understand that right now, Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk is out in Japan. No matter what, please DO NOT WRITE ANY SPOILERS FOR THE GAME IN YOUR REVIEWS IF YOU HAVE ANY TOS RELATED QUESTIONS! Thank you, and have a nice day!**


	30. Chapter 29: Kanonno: Redemption

**Hello! Final Poke Mario Fan here, with the third and final part of the Kanonno mini-arc! Here we go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 29: Kanonno: Redemption

**BTW, from this point on, the story has a Alex x Kanonno pairing (though it DOESN'T start in this chapter).**

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_Last chapter..._

_Alex was startled when Kanonno jumped forward, her sword ready. Alex gasped when he saw her sword glowing red, knowing what that meant._

_"YUNANATE BLAST!"_

_Alex tried to raise his shield, but it was too late. The sword made contact with the edge of his shield close to his chest and caused an explosion. Alex screamed as he felt pain all over his body as he flew back and crashed into the ground, skidding. The blue crystal on the end of the necklace Alex had behind his armor flew up. While the necklace remained on his neck, the crystal landed on top of Alex's armor, in plain visible sight now. Blood flew from Alex's mouth as he landed, and Alex knew he had suffered too many wounds to get up._

_Kanonno then walked over towards Alex triumphant, her sword in both hands. She then glanced down at Alex from above. "Well then, Terresian Descender, our battles have finally reached their conclusion. Any last words?"_

_"...Kanonno..." Alex muttered, staring at her face to what he believed to be the last time. A sad, pained look filled his face as he looked up._

_Kanonno simply sighed, and raised her sword, ready to plunge it into Alex's heart. Suddenly, something caught her eye._

_"What's this? A blue crystal?" Kanonno asked herself in surprise, glancing at the beautiful blue crystal. Suddenly, she felt some sort of extreme pain in her head, and gripped it in while grunting in pain, and she let out a cry._

_At that moment, snow began to fall beautifully on the Kiseki Plains, quiet and serene in the battlefield..._

_Suddenly, after what seemed to be a minute, Kanonno stopped clutching her head. She shook her head in confusion, and looked at Alex in shock, who was staring at her sadly. She gasped for a second, and looked down at her own sword, which was coated with Alex's blood. She gasped, and threw the sword to the ground, the snow falling down on it. She then kneeled down towards Alex, and glanced into his eyes, green and blue meeting._

_"...Alex?" Kanonno finally choked out, her voice trembling and her eyes watering._

_Alex gasped. _Up...up until now, Kanonno's always called me the "Terresian Descender". But this time...does this mean?

_"Kanonno..." Alex replied, his voice filled with shock._

_Upon hearing that, Kanonno couldn't hold back anything any longer, and began crying loudly. She fell to the ground, and began sobbing, the snow still falling serenely. Alex looked at her through all the pain, and she glanced at the ground, refusing to look up._

_"...I...I...I...I re...remem...ber..." Kanonno cried out, still sobbing. A second later, she let out a bloodcurling scream, similar to Alex's the day before, with everyone looking around in confusion._

_Through all the pain, Alex managed to smile, and for the first time in a while, broke out into tears of joy. "Kanonno...I'm so glad...I'm so glad...that you're back..."_

_Several minutes later..._

_The battle for the Kiseki Plains had ended. Not a single Pascan soldier was left standing, all dead. Alex and Kanonno were still in the same places they had been before. All this time, Alex noted that Kanonno had never looked at him in the face since she regained her memory. Seconds later, soldiers ran up to Alex, and Jade was leading them, ordering the soldiers not to attack Kanonno. Jade glanced down, and stared at Alex._

_"My my, Alex, you look like a bull just ran through you several times." Jade commented._

_Alex smiled. "Yeah...but in the end, it was all worth it."_

_Jade glanced down at Kanonno. "...Is this Kanonno?"_

_"Yeah...she finally regained her memory! I'm so happy..." Alex replied, still smiling._

_Jade nodded. "I see. Soldiers, place her in captivity. When we return to Besos, she is to be placed in the dungeons."_

_"WHAT!?" Alex screamed, shocked at Jade. Kanonno merely nodded, and the soldiers bound her arms, Kanonno not even putting up a fight. She walked away with them, and several medics came seconds later towards Alex, who kept screaming Kanonno's name as she was taken away to the captivity wagon..._

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_Lavard..._

Valvus had watched these events in shock, horror, and anger. "What the...what the hell just happened? I thought words couldn't break State Jemummu Recovery! Tribilin! What is the meaning of this?"

Tribilin, who had also watched these events in what appeared to be shock, though it was secretly glee, glared at Valvus from his blue light viewer. "Valvus, were you even paying attention? When Belladonna hit the Terresian Descender in that last attack, some kind of blue crystal came out from behind his armor. I have no clue what the hell it was, but it seems like the blue crystal was some sort of 'memento' between Belladonna and the Terresian Descender. But, it seems not all is lost...Belladonna didn't even look at the Terresian Descender after she regained her memory...that must mean...heheheheheheheheheh!"

"Damn it! We've...we've lost Belladonna for good, then. Terresian Descender...you took Belladonna away from us...I won't forgive you for that." Darius stated. His face was fill with sadness and anger, a rare emotion for him.

Tribilin laughed. "Darius, Darius...what the hell are you, a pedophile?"

Darius grew angrier. "It's nothing like that! Belladonna...Belladonna was like a daughter to me! She was such a good person...and now 'Belladonna' has 'died'! I will avenge her 'death'...not just for me, but for _their _sake too."

"Darius, calm down! This isn't like you to get angry!" Siltran exclaimed, a worried look on his face.

Darius heard Siltran's words, and took several deep breaths, until he finally settled down. "...I'm sorry that I got out of control there, Master Valvus."

Valvus shook his head. "It's no problem, Darius. But now, we have a problem. We're one general short. The Kiseki Fields is a lost cause by now, though, so there's no more purpose in defending that region. However, if the UFTW is going to continue through Scollance, they will have to pass through Creitz Pass, between the mountains. My guess is that they'll try to take over the northern region after that, while attacking the mine towns shortly after that. Therefore, we're going to need to hurry up mine production in Scollance for our weapons."

Valvus took a breath before continuing. "Fortunately, we're still recieving shipments of armor from Mithos through the portal in Vascallus, so we don't have to worry about that. However, we need to keep a closer eye on him now...I know he must be planning something with that Kratos person...but what, I don't know. We just need to be careful. Now then, we need to talk about more pressing matters. Belladonna may be gone, but she was only one general. There are plenty of others. However, you three will remain my three main generals. There will no more from now on."

Tribilin smirked. "Heh, good. I was getting tired of sharing the glory with three other people anyway."

Valvus ignored him and continued talking. "Because of Belladonna's departure, we're going to have to change up our tactics a little bit. Darius, you will take Belladonna's place in offense tactics in Scollance. You will also be leading the attack on Gernicamo and use the Rugen tactics. However, wait another two weeks before performing this operation. We need to assure that you can perform the operation safely without any UFTW interference. Siltran, stay where you are in Scollance Castle. Tribilin, you'll be moving up to the northern area past the mountains."

"No. There's no way in hell that I'm going back there, Valvus. What are you thinking? Are you an idiot or something? Putting me there is just too crazy! You know damn well what happened to me there, and there's no way I'm going back!" Tribilin exclaimed, anger and..._fear_ in his voice.

Darius then looked at Tribilin's blue light viewer. "As much as I don't like you, Tribilin...I can't help but sympathize for your situation. Master Valvus, if I may, I will take Tribilin's place in the northern lands. Tribilin can take over my position to lead the offensive in Scollance. Besides...the Rugen tactics are something you'd enjoy...am I wrong, Tribilin?"

"Heheheheheheh...what can I say? You know me well." Tribilin replied, a huge smirk on his face.

Valvus nodded. "Very well then. Since you volunteered openly, Darius, you will watch over the northern lands while Tribilin will lead the offensive. However, you still must wait two weeks, Tribilin. Once you've finished up with the Rugen tactics, make sure you gain more information about the rebels from the leaders of the rebels in the town. After all, you claim that interrogation is your favorite 'pasttime', no?"

"Of course, Valvus, I'll be sure to interrogate the answers out of them. Just as long as I can do whatever type of interrogation I want, it's fine." Tribilin answered, smiling as wide as ever.

"Alright, good. Anyway, Darius, while you head to the northern lands, you need to go to head to Mine Cavern 53. There, you will find another shipment of Trekan that you need for the MPS. This is the final shipment of Trekan we need to complete the MPS, but we still require a little more of the mythril in order to completely finish it. Will you search the mines and check around to see if there's any mythril, Darius?" Valvus asked.

Darius nodded. "Of course. With the MPS, fighting in this war will become much easier. If I may speak freely, Master Valvus, have the scientists made the seven the way I asked them to?"

"Yes. They've all been made with the exact materials and measurements that you asked." Valvus replied.

"Alright then, thank you, Master Valvus." Darius replied.

Valvus then looked towards everyone. "Alright then, that is all. Move out, everyone! We have much to do!"

The three nodded, and seconds later, Darius dispelled all the blue light viewers, leaving Valvus alone in the room he sat in. He sighed, and looked out the window, seeing the dark winter clouds dispersing, the first winter snow having started that day. He then turned down to look at some war related paperwork, shaking his head.

_Right now...it's difficult to assess the situation. The UFTW has just gotten Belladonna...no, Kanonno, back. This could be potentially dangerous if they work together. What's more, the third artifact has not been found yet, and the team down at the volcano are having problems...not that I can blame them, though. Even if I have the God's Eye, it pales in comparison to the power contained in the Ruins of Jezid. And what's more, I still know that Mithos is planning something...if they don't find the third artifact by the time the UFTW reaches Pasca, we're in serious trouble..._

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_Elsewhere..._

Tribilin was lying down in his bed in an unknown location. He chuckled to himself maniacally, and smirked as usual while he licked his lips. He bit his lip hard, causing it to bleed, and he drank the blood while laughing.

_Hahahahahahaha! Valvus, you really are a true idiot! Are you truly realizing the impact losing Belladonna will bring upon this war? The Terresian Descender...has a way with allies. He'll be able to bring Belladonna onto his side. Two Descenders...at the state you're at Valvus, you don't stand a chance against both of them combined...and neither does anyone else! Perfect! Soon, the two Descenders will kill you, and when that happens, I will be in control of Assimilation! You may be afraid of the Terresian Descender, Valvus...but you have no idea of the danger that awaits _inside _your circle!_

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_Besos, several hours after Kanonno regained her memories..._

THUD!

Jade grunted as he fell to the ground in the middle of his office in the castle. In front of him was Alex, who's fist was extended and he had a very enraged look in his eyes. Thanks to a large amount of concentrated healing spells, Alex was alright now, but he was still angry. Seconds later, a few soldiers barged in and held Alex back. Alex tried to break free, but there were too many soldiers.

Jade got off the ground, placing a hand to the spot where Alex had punched. Despite this, he retained a calm demeanor. "Alex, might I ask what this is all about? Punching a superior officer...that's punishable by death, you know."

"YOU KNOW GODDAMN WELL WHAT THE HELL THIS ALL ABOUT, YOU BASTARD!" Alex exclaimed, taking a breath. "Why the hell did you place Kanonno in captivity?! She regained her memories, and yet you still put her in captivity?! Just what the hell is your problem?!" The soldiers then were forced to restrain Alex further as he tried to punch Jade again.

Jade simply pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, and looked up at Alex. "How can we really be _sure_ she regained her memories?"

"What the...WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? I saw it with my very own eyes! Kanonno _did _regain her memory! I'd bet my life on it!" Alex shouted. Jade still stood there, unintimidated.

"I was waiting for you to say something like that. Just now, you said you 'saw' her regain her memory and that you'd 'bet your life on it'. But tell me, how do we know this isn't an act? What if 'Kanonno' is merely playing a trick on us and is trying to infiltrate our ranks and become a double agent for the Pascan military. For all we now, she could have faked regaining her memory and could have just done that as an excuse to be brought here? While it may not be very likely, it's a possibility, and we can't risk that possibility." Jade explained, a serious look on his face.

"..." Alex fell silent. _Jade...Jade's got a point. While that idea sounds completely ridiculous, there's a very small possibility it could have been true...and if that happened, then we really could have been heavily compromised...Kanonno...I know you definately regained your memory...but Jade's theory is somewhat valid, so Jade...I understand why you did what you did._

"...Jade. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have punched you. Forgive me." Alex muttered, glancing down on the ground.

Jade stood there silent for a minute, when suddenly, he opened his eyes. "General Alex Terresca. While as a person, I forgive you for what you did, as a superior officer, I cannot forgive you. Thus, as a result of your crime, you shall receive your punishment."

Alex gasped, looking afraid. "Wh...what punishment would that be?"

"Alex Terresca. As punishment for hitting me, you must personally deliver food to the prisoner in Dungeon C, Block 14, Cell 3...'Kanonno's' cell." Jade replied.

"!" Alex looked terrified at Jade's request. _Most...most soldiers wouldn't even consider that was a punishment. But to me, to deliver food to Kanonno...this is going to be _very _awkward...what should I do? I...I want to see her right now, yet at the same time...I'm afraid of seeing how Kanonno will react to me...but an order's and order._

"Understood, General Curtiss. I will accept my punishment." Alex replied in the calmest voice he could muster.

Jade saw right through him in an instant, but he merely nodded. "Good. Her food will be ready in three minutes. Wait outside my office. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Y...yes, General Curtiss." Alex replied, nervous. The soldiers released him, and Alex turned around, opening the door on his way out. As he shut it, he gave a huge sigh, sitting against the wall outside of Jade's office.

"Damn it..."

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_Three minutes later..._

Alex was still sitting outside Jade's office, waiting. He surprised that no one else had come up, meaning that Jade knew how to cook, an idea that seemed a little...strange for Alex. However, sitting on the wall, all that Alex could really think about was Kanonno.

_Kanonno...right after our battle today, I just knew it then and there: things will never be the same between us. And...due to the circumstances, it's going to be hard to go back. This incident...its even worse than what happened during the Gilgulim Crisis. I mean, sure, back then, Kanonno fought me willingly, but then we were able to settle our problems quickly. This time, though...we fought against each other _five _times. We...we promised to meet again...but I never imagined it would be under circumstances like this..._

Just then, Jade came out of his room. In his hands was a simple gray tray, much like the kinds that were found in mess halls. On the tray was a cup filled with water, a loaf of bread, and a small envelope. Alex cocked an eyebrow, wondering why it had taken Jade three minutes to make something so...simple. Alex gazed up at Jade.

"Well, this is it. Deliver it to Kanonno in her cell, and then you're free of your punishment." Jade explained, handing the tray to Alex.

Alex slowly nodded, and took the tray, headed for the hall that lead towards the dungeons. Jade watched him, and a few seconds later, Kratos emerged from the other side of the hallway. He watched Alex walk away towards the stairs, and then he walked over toward Jade, who beckoned him to his office. In the past few months, Kratos and Jade had become somewhat of good aquaintances.

"Kratos, glad you could make it. Please, have a seat next to me." Jade said, pointing to a chair right next to his on the desk. Kratos nodded, and took a seat down in hte chair. Jade opened his desk, and took out two wine bottles and glasses. He poured himself a glass of wine, and also offered Kratos a glass, who nodded in response.

Kratos took a sip of his wine, and turned to Jade. "Jade. For what reason did you call me up here? All you did is tell me to come up to your office at this time. Why?"

Jade also took a sip, and remained silent for a seconds before speaking. "...I called you because I though you'd be interested in _this_." With that, Jade moved over a piece of cloth, revealing a small white box that had many holes picking out of it.

Kratos raised his eyes, looking at Jade suspiciously. "A speaker? Why are you showing me this?"

"I'll explain. This speaker is connected to a small microphone I had retrieved earlier. It's a product of some of those advances on that planet, Earth. Anyway, with the speaker, I can listen in to whatever the microphone is nearby. Just now, I hid that mircrophone on the tray that Alex is taking down to Kanonno as we speak." Jade explained.

"...You bugged the tray? Well...I can't say that's surprising, given the circumstances. The microphone is a trap of sorts, I can see." Kratos replied, looking at Jade a little dissaidingly.

"I wouldn't call it a trap, more like a test. I know Alex will not resist talking to Kanonno. I want to see if she really has regained her memories and whether she's willing to join our army. If that's alright with you, of course." Jade answered.

Kratos nodded. "I have no objections. This could actually prove to be very useful. Back in the days of the Gilgulim Crisis, Kanonno proved herself to be a very powerful member. With her abilities as a Descender and her years of experience with the Pascans, she will prove to be a vital aspect for us should she choose to join. But most importantly, we may finally be able to learn Valvus' plans. We've already been fighting for nearly four months now, and we still have no idea what he's planning."

"I agree. If Alex can manage to get Kanonno on our side, she will be a gold mine of information regarding the Pascans' plans. If we can gain knowledge of what they're up to, then we can make all efforts that we can into stopping their plans. After all, we didn't want to fight a war: we just wanted to stop Valvus' plans from being accomplished. Maybe we can make peace with the Pascans when we learn the plans-although in my opinion, it's far too late for that. A world cannot forgive us for barging in and killing over one hundred thousand people." Jade replied, sighing.

"...Then, in that case, all we can do right now is count on Alex to help Kanonno." Kratos concluded, sipping from the wine again.

Jade nodded. "Right. We should call the rest of the Ad Libitum members up with us. They have as much right to hear this as we do..."

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_Besos, dungeons..._

Alex's footsteps echoed down in the hallway, creating a somewhat chilling effect since he had to walk slowly so that he wouldn't drop the tray. He had many things he wanted to say to Kanonno, but he was a bit reluctant to talk to her at this point. Nevertheless, he knew that if he did not speak now, he might not get another chance for a while. He sighed, and looked up to view the cell block he was in at the moment. He was in Dungeon C, Block 13. Only one more block was left until he reached Kanonno.

Alex then reached the door leading to Block 14. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handle and opened the door, carefully balancing the tray in his free hand and his knee. He then walked through, shutting the door behind him, still shaking in nervousness. He walked forward, and had only taken about five steps until he had spotted her.

Kanonno was curled up into a fetal position, staring down in the direction of the prison walls. She was still wearing the armor she had been wearing during the battle, having not changed into prison attire yet. Her eyes were red, and they drooped downwards. She had tilted her head slightly upon hearing the sound of Alex's footsteps, but the second she had seen his greaves, she adverted her eyes immediately. Alex tried to get a good look of her face, but he couldn't get a good look at her from the angle she was at.

Remembering why he was here, Alex walked over to the food slot of the cell and slid the tray in. "K...Kanonno? I've brought you some food, if you want any."

"..." Kanonno was silent, as if she were deliberately trying to ignore him.

"Um...yeah, I know this is all kind of awkward, Kanonno...but, er, um...I just wanted to..." Alex started.

"...Go away." Kanonno's voice replied, somewhat shakey.

Alex gasped in surprise. "H...Huh? What...what do you mean, Kanonno?"

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Kanonno exclaimed, the sudden outburst shocking Alex.

Alex gazed at Kanonno in sudden shock and saddness, but he did not move from where he stood. "Kanonno! W...Why?!"

Out of the blue, Kanonno suddenly broke down, crying heavily. "Because...because...there's no...no way...you or I would want...want to see each other's face after what happened!? How could I ever look at your face and not think about what I've...what I've done! I nearly killed you! I don't deserve to see you! And I know you hate me by now, too!"

Alex gazed at Kanonno with a look mixed with shock, sympathy, and sorrow, not sure which one he felt the most right now. "Th...that's not tr..."

"Don't give me that crap! I know that there could be no way for _anyone _to forgive me for what happened! For the UFTW, I'm considered a dangerous threat that needs to be finished off at all costs. But I can't go back to the Pascans either with everything that's happened either! Accepted by neither side...what a fitting punishment for me. NO ONE WILL EVER LOOK AT ME AS A PERSON! JUST A DAMN TOOL, THAT'S WHAT! I HATE...I HATE...I HATE EVERYONE!" Kanonno exclaimed, still crying.

"...Kanonno. I...I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but please...tell me everything that's happened. Tell me how you ended up like this." Alex said, his voice soft but firm.

Kanonno paused for a minute, and Alex believed she decided to ignore him, when she spoke. "It...it all started after the Gilgulim Crisis. As you know, the three of us returned back to our own worlds when we had defeated Widdershin. For a while, I was inactive, when one day, about thirty four months ago, I was sent to Pasca to deal with another threat affecting Pasca. Then...it happened.

When I appeared at the Foot of the World Tree, Valvus, Darius, Tribilin, and Siltran were all waiting for me. They had intentionally attacked the World Tree itself in an effort to draw me out, and then they fought me. I tried to fight them off, but it was four to one, and they were incredibly powerful. After my defeat, they bound me, and Valvus took me through one of their portals to Lavard. When I arrived in Lavard, I became very aggressive to the people around me, as I wanted them to leave me alone. But then...Tribilin...he..."

Alex expected the worst. "He...he didn't..._rape_ you...did he!?"

Kanonno shook her head, starting to cry harder. "No...Tribilin wouldn't do things like that. But he...he tortured me many times...the pain...I can still feel the pain of his torture...the sound of his laughs. For the next five months, I was held in the Lavard Research Institute. There, I was kept drugged and I was forced to be experimented on like I was their plaything. Apparently, as a Descender, I have heightened magical abilities in comparison with humans, so they decided to exploit that. Then five months after I was brought to the research institute...they did it."

"Did what?" Alex asked, though he had a feeling he knew what it was.

Kanonno just continued on. "I was brought back to Lavard Castle, where they brought me to a secret underground chamber. They chained me to a table, and then several mages and Tribilin came in. The they...they started. They drugged me, then when the drug had kicked in, the mages performed spells to expose my brain to them. Even with the drugs...it was the worst pain I'd ever felt. They pretty much cut my head open in a magic sense. Then, when my brain was exposed, Tribilin felt around it...and suddenly hit me in one spot. That's the last thing I remember of the operation.

When I...when I came to...I was in the ruins of Ca...Ca...Calamos. When I woke up, my head was throbbing, and my memories were gone. Suddenly, Valvus, Darius, and Tribilin all came up to me. They told me that they had been passing by when they saw me, and they took me with them. Valvus told me that my name was Belladonna, and that he had known my 'family'. He then told me that they had all been killed by a 'rebel force', and that I was the lone survivor. I didn't have any memory at the time at the time, so I became angry at the 'rebel force' and I agreed to follow him and become a general."

"Did this said 'rebel force' actually exist?" Alex asked.

Kanonno nodded. "Yeah, it did. We hunted them down through Pasca, but several of the leaders managed to escape to a city called Rugen...We headed there, and demanded that the city release the leaders to us. They refused to support us, so we burned the whole city to the ground...not a single person survived. After that incident, one of Valvus' loyal officers, a colonel, left the military. Valvus then told me that people could not live with other people, and that the world was rotten and corrupt, too corrupt to be saved. He told me that he wished to change that, and told me a plan he had. I agreed with this plan and I became one of Valvus' top three generals.

After that was done, we worked out the seeds of our plan. For the next two years, we worked in and outside of Pasca. Valvus...I don't know why, but he somehow has the power to create portals. We learned that Gilgulim had survived from the Gilgulim Crisis incident, and that our worlds were still trapped inside. Ironic, isn't it, Alex? We thought we had saved the worlds after the Gilgulim Crisis, but instead, they all just became part of a cage named Gilgulim. Anyway, Valvus used this fact to his advantage, and we teleported from world to world."

Kanonno took a deep breath before continuing. "During these next two years, the four of us travelled the worlds while Siltran, Valvus' right hand man and somewhat of an adopted son, took care of Pasca, without the citizens of Pasca knowing what was going on, as Valvus gave Siltran orders using Darius' power. We went from world to world, stealing the mana from many worlds, using my power of mana manipulation as Valvus required them for his plans. We...we uncovered the very mana seeds...that you and I had created two years ago. And...and then...one month before we went to your world...we...we targeted Yaoon."

Alex gasped, knowing what was to happen. "And...and Mormo?"

Kanonno, who had stopped crying for a while, started crying up again. "We...we killed many of the creatures that lived in Yaoon. During our time there Mormo...Mormo...appeared again. He tried to fight us but he...he...he was no match for us. Once we had taken Yaoon's mana seed, we took Mormo...back to Lavard. And then...and then...Tribilin dissected him while he was alive and conscious. Mormo...I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE HIM! ALL I DID WAS WATCH WITH DISGUST! I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED TRIBILIN!"

Kanonno cried harder, until she managed to control herself and continue. "After...after that...we learned more about Terresia. Terresia was the only world left in existance that was outside of Gilgulim, which had far more mana than any other world we'd been to. Valvus' engineers managed to create a way to control Gilgulim's path through space, and so we teleported outside of Gilgulim and started descending down towards Terresia. However, the whole process took about a week, and so we dug up some information about some of the other worlds."

"We found out about a set of two worlds called Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. It's a long story about them, but basically, they are two worlds that lie in separate dimensions, parallel to each other. They both are controlled by a guy named Mithos, who acts as a puppet master of sorts for both worlds, ruling through an organization named Cruxis. After hearing how much power he had and how much people he had under his control, we figured we could take advantage of him. We went to Tethe'alla, and managed to lure him out, defeating him."

Alex suddenly gasped upon hearing what Kanonno said. "Wait...did you just say...Cruxis?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Kanonno replied.

_Cruxis...that's the name Prophet told me to remember!_ "It's, er, nothing. Please continue."

"Fine. Anyway, we bound Mithos, brought him back to Lavard, and basically coerced him into making Cruxis supply us with armor. Even today, most of the armor you see on the Pascan soldiers were created by Cruxis. However, Mithos holds a grudge against us, not surprisingly. After that, we prepared for the invasion, and a week later, we landed outside of Ailily...and you know the rest. That's all I have to say. Now then, Alex, leave me alone." Kanonno finished. Through the entire conversion, she had not looked at Alex once.

Alex shook his head. "No, Kanonno. I'm not leaving. I want to talk to you about so much..."

"LEAVE! I don't want to see you again! I...I can't see you again! If I look at you, all I can think about is the time where I thrusted my blade into you! All the times we fought, every time I called you the 'Terresian' Descender, every wound, everything about me! I hate myself so much...I want to just end it all right here, right now! It's all my fault...my fault that all this happened! I already know that you can't ever look at me like your friend anymore. Not after all of the horrible things I've done!" Kanonno screamed, sobbing. Suddenly, she reached over to the food tray, and took the knife from the utensils, pointing it to her chest.

"Kanonno...none of this is your fault!" Alex exclaimed, knowing if he didn't stop her soon, she could commit suicide any minute now.

Upon hearing these words, Kanonno suddenly broke into sardonic laughter, bitterly smiling. "Don't give me that, Alex. I know you went to Calamos. You saw what happened there, right? A city burnt to the ground...all those lives gone...both were crimes that I myself did...and which I did willingly. I killed men, women, children...even babies. I remember every kill I commited that night...and I didn't regret a thing at the time. Now tell me, Alex, upon hearing these things, how can you say that none of that was my fault!?"

Kanonno took the knife, and slashed herself across the arm, blood spilling out in an instant. "Now tell me, Alex! The genocide of everyone in Pasca! Me selling Pasca out to Widdershin! The destruction of hundreds of worlds from Gilgulim! The invasion of Terresia! The destruction of Rugen! The draining of mana from even more worlds! Mormo's death! The battles you and I had! This goddamn war! Tell me Alex, whose fault was th..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Alex exclaimed on the top of his lungs, finally snapping. With all his might, he slammed his hands onto the cell bars, causing them to dent slightly. Kanonno gasped in shock, broken out of her ranting by Alex's sudden action.

"W...what? Alex...you..." Kanonno stammered, still in shock.

Alex panted heavily, blood seeping from his hands as a result of his slamming of the bars. "I said...shut up. Stop...stop blaming yourself...for things...you didn't do."

"..." Kanonno remained silent.

"Kanonno...I've listened to everything you've said so far...but you've crossed the line! The only thing you've done on that list that was your fault entirely was the Pascan Genocide. After that, none of it was your fault. Let's think about some of the things you said, alright? Starting with everything after the Gilgulim Crisis. Once you were reborn, you were captured and forced to undergo experimentation. And then, State Jemummu Recovery was initiated. Tell me...what is your name?" Alex started.

"Kanonno." Kanonno replied, confused by the question.

Alex nodded. "Right. That's your name. From what I remember, most of the crimes you mentioned after the Gilgulim Crisis were not commited by a person called Kanonno. Rather, they were commited by a person named Belladonna, who, as far as everyone is concerned, died during the Battle of the Kiseki Fields. Since it was Belladonna who commited all of those crimes mentioned, you are innocent of every single one of those crimes. It was Tribilin and Valvus that forced those situations."

"T...that's not an excuse!" Kanonno replied.

"It's not? Then let me tell you one more thing. A person is someone who carries the memories of their past with them their entire life, and keeps the same name for their entire life. If another person looks the same as that person, but has different memories and a different name, then those to are different people." Alex explained in a firm tone.

"...So what? Even if it wasn't me who commited the crimes _after _the Gilgulim Crisis, it was still me who commited the crimes _before _the Gilgulim Crisis. How do you intend to try and tell me I'm not guilty of those crimes?" Kanonno retorted.

Alex's tone turned a bit soft, knowing he was cracking the wall Kanonno had set up. "You're right. You are guilty of those crimes. But Kanonno...I know that after you killed everyone in Pasca, you immediately regretted it. Everything...and I mean _everything_...that you did after the Pascan Genocide was your attempt of trying to repent for your crime. The only reason you sold Pasca out to Widdershin was because he told you he would revive Pasca...the perfect way for you to repent for yourself.

You stole mana from other worlds just to help Widdershin. Kanonno...even when you lost your memory in Terresia...your actions while you had amnesia were all unconscious actions for you to repent. You truly helped people with their problems...you always put others before yourself...and you love children. All of those were you doing your best to repent. You have dedicated your entire life to repenting that one big mistake you made. Does it make sense for you to throw away your own life that you've spent working for redemption."

"Alex..." Kanonno started, and she looked down at the ground in shock. Clearly, she had not thought about her actions in the depth that Alex had.

Alex then gave a soft smile. "Kanonno. It's very easy to give up. You may believe that your life is easy to throw away and that no one will miss you if you die...but that's not true! That's the biggest mistake you can ever do! I once made that mistake once...and I was lucky enough to survive and realize that I was wrong. Kanonno, please, don't make that mistake. Everyone will be sad if you die. The UFTW, the members of Ad Libitum...and me. We'll be grieving over you for the rest of our lives. Don't...don't make us go through that."

"I...I..." Kanonno stuttered, tears coming out again.

"Hold on a minute." Alex interrupted. He closed his eyes, raised his right arm, and suddenly, the blue light of his portal appeared. He walked right through it, disappearing into it. A second later, the portal manifested inside Kanonno's cell, and Alex walked out of it, appearing right in front of Kanonno.

"Alex! Why did..." Kanonno began, shocked that Alex had warped inside her cell.

"I told you, Kanonno...none of this is your fault. No matter what happens, no matter what you do...you'll always be my friend. And nothing...and I mean _nothing_...will ever change that. We're all here with you, and we'll always be there for you." Alex replied, smiling widely.

For the first time since she had regained her memory, Kanonno looked up into Alex's face, seeing the truth in his eyes. She quickly rose out of her seat, and embraced Alex, surprising him. She then began to cry again.

"Alex...forgive me! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean any of the things I said just now! I want...I want to live! I want to keep being friends with all of you! I'm sorry! I'll...I'll do anything...just so long as we're all friends and I don't have to feel alone ever again! I don't hate anyone...I love all of you...because you're my dear friends. And like you said...nothing will ever change that."

Alex started crying tears of joy. "Of course, Kanonno. Welcome back...I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Alex. I've made a decision...I'll fight alongside you." Kanonno replied, pleased to be feeling the warm feeling of friendship. Suddenly, the envelope on the tray glowed blue, and Alex and Kanonno broke their embrace, curious. Kannono used the knife to open the letter, and read the message on it.

_To Kanonno,_

_Congratulations. You have been accepted into the UFTW military force. Starting tommorow, you'll be working alongside us as a Brigadier General. In just a few minutes, I will release you from your cell. Once again, congratulations._

_Lieutenant Jade Curtiss._

_P.S.: Good job, Alex. I knew you could do it._

Alex and Kanonno smiled at reading this letter, though Kanonno looked confused. "'Jade'? Who's that?"

"A general for the UFTW. He's from Luke and Tear's world. He's...very sarcastic, but he's a good person." Alex replied.

Kanonno smiled. "Great! I can't wait to meet him!"

A few minutes later, the two heard the block door open, and they saw Jade walking by, the cell keys in his hand. He glanced at Alex with some surprise in his eyes when he saw him behind the cell, but his face returned to normal. "My, my. And to think, the two of you only just reunited after so long apart from each other."

Alex and Kanonno both blushed madly at Jade's comment, though Alex gave an angry look. "Just...just what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Now come on, let's go. There's a surprise waiting for you." Jade replied, opening the cell door.

Kanonno looked at Jade in confusion, but she walked out of the cell door, Alex following her. They reached the block door, but when it was opened, Kanonno gasped at the sight that awaited her.

All of the Ad Libitum members were outside of the block door, all circled around the three with smiles on their face. Kanonno gasped, not seeing one bit of animosity in their faces. Soon, they spoke.

"Welcome back, Kanonno!"

"We missed you!"

"I wanted to see you again for a while!"

"Welcome back!"

Kanonno gasped, and tears of joy filled her eyes. "Every...everyone...thank you so much...I don't deserve all of your friendship, but I'm...I'm so glad to finally be back."

_And so, Kanonno walked back with the entire Ad Libitum group, meeting friends old and new. And so, for the first time since the war began, everyone in Ad Libitum was smiling on the same day..._

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**So, how was it, everyone? This officially concludes the Kanonno-mini arc. On some other news, I have heard that there will be a sequel to Radiant Mythology coming out in the future. My feelings are mixed: while I'm excited about the game, I'm a little disappointed to because my story wouldn't be a canonical continuation of Radiant Mythology (then again, it could be an entirely different universe all together, so maybe not all hope is lost). **

**Besides, not to get my hopes up or anything, but when I get older, I want to become a game developer for the Tales series when I grow up, working in Japan (I already have an idea for a game). So maybe, in the future, I could be part of the Tales series as either a game director or a scenario/script writer. And if I worked in Japan, I would ensure that I would not make the game unless it reached North American shores, where I would help with localization if I could.**

**Anyway, here's a slight change to Alex's profile.**

**Alex Terresca: Seiyu change from Kenichi Suzumura to Souichiro Hoshi.**

**Well, that's all! I hoped this mini-arc will inspire some fanarts from you guys! Read and Review!**


	31. Chapter 30: Secrets and Sins

**Hello! Final Poke Mario Fan back here again, here to continue the story as we are now out of the Kanonno mini-arc! Here we go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 30: Secrets and Sins

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_Besos, ten days after Kanonno had regained her memory and joined the UFTW..._

Days had passed since Kanonno regained her memory, and a new year had begun for Pasca, the year 1600. The UFTW had stayed in Besos all this time, trying to plan their next move. They had gained the Kiseki Fields, but they still needed to gain further ground in Pasca, as the only way to continue through the point they were at currently was the Creitz Pass, as everywhere else was surrounded by mountains. The Creitz Pass was a narrow valley that was north of Besos, leading to a two way intersection. One of the roads lead to a mountain pass that would eventually lead into a mountain pass that would lead to an area called the "Northern Icelands" by residents of Pasca, since it basically was a barren snowfield, with the exception of several cities and towns.

The other road lead into the narrower section of the valley, which, when breached, would lead past the mountains and into the west side of Pasca, which was where most of the military was based in. On the far left edge of the continent was Scollance Castle and the city of Esord, capital of Scollance. However, the castle and capital were surrounded by large mountains that were impossible to cross by foot. The only way to get there on foot was a mountain passage located on the bottom on Scollance past Rezard, one of the heaviest guarded forts in all of Pasca, so the UFTW decided to save it for last.

To the south of Besos, past the Kiseki Fields was where majority of Scollance's towns lay, and also where the least military force existed. In the south region of Scollance were either mountainous towns or port towns. The south-east edge of Scollance was a region known as the Bacuan Penninsula, a long penninsula that contained more of Scollance's cities. The main port city there, Helmos, was a vital city to all of Pasca, as that was a central location for all of Pasca, therefore it was where most trading occured.

While not attached to Scollance, further south of Scollance was Galvanas Island, a large landmass located in between Granvoise and Scollance. While it had belonged to Granvoise before Valvus' takeover of Pasca, now that Pasca was united, it simply belonged to Valvus now. There were a few fishing communities there, but what made the island truly remarkable was that it was home to Pasca's only volcano, Mount Hatmas. While it was not necessary to control, there had been recent activity going on near the volcano by the military, so the UFTW had decided to check it out.

Alex was now sitting in his room, looking down at something he had just made, and smiled. He then pulled out his chain necklace with the blue crystal, and held it out for a few seconds, then he put it back. He got out a long, thin box, and placed the item he had just made into there. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door, and quickly hid the box behind his pillow.

"Come in." Alex announced.

The door slid open, and Kanonno came walking through, wearing new armor, having thrown away the old one. Her new armor was composed of silver plates, with yellow lining on the outside of them, allowing for more defense than her last armor. She no longer wore a helm, and on her back was a giant sheath for where she put her sword. As Alex had predicted, Kanonno was slightly smaller than her last armor made her appear, which had made her look 5'9. Instead, she was about 5'7, having gone through a huge growth spurt in the past two years in Pasca, and her new armor fit her perfectly. Alex had also noticed that the rest of her body had also become a bit more...developed, though he could say the same about himself.

Alex smiled on seeing Kanonno. "Good morning, Kanonno."

"Good morning." Kanonno replied, also smiling. In the past ten days, Kanonno had made a remarkable recovery of her personality before she regained her memory back in the Gilgulim Crisis, having become more cheerful and always going out of her way to help people. Alex didn't try to think of himself as that good of a person, but he believed that what he had told Kanonno in the jail cell had changed her perspective on things, therefore her new personality reflected her new views. However, there were times where Kanonno would still get serious or sad, though Alex couldn't blame her after everything that had happened.

"What's up? Is something wrong?" Alex asked.

Kanonno shook her head. "No, nothing like that! I was just wondering if you'd like to eat breakfast with me."

"Sure, why not? I'll head down with you right now." Alex replied, grabbing his vacuum-space sphere off the table, refitting his helm one last time.

"Good! Then let's go right now!" Kanonno replied, headed for the door.

"Um...Kanonno? Could you wait for a second?" Alex said, his tone somewhat shakey.

Kanonno turned around, a bit confused by his tone. "Sure. What's up?"

Suddenly, Alex felt somewhat sweaty and hot, an emotion that was confusing him, his face flushed. "Er...um...uh...right! There's...some...something I'd like to give you!"

"Really? What is it?" Kanonno asked, curious now.

"W...well...uh..." _Damn it, why am I stuttering all of the sudden? What's wrong with me? _"Er...uh...here!" Alex finally blurted out, calming down. He grabbed the box from under his pillow and handed it to Kanonno.

"A box?" Kanonno stated, confused. She lifted the cover off the box, and gasped in surprise at what she saw.

In the box was a long, silver chain necklace, similar to the one Alex had. On the end of the necklace was the emerald that Alex had found at the Ruins of Hamarabi, which had been recently polished. Kanonno looked up at Alex, surprised.

Alex scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed, pulling out his necklace. "Well...you know...you got me this back in Terresia, so I figured that...maybe you would like something similar to it...of course, if you don't want it, it's fine..."

Kanonno shook her head, smiling. "No, Alex, I really like it! Thank you! But...when did you get this?"

Alex started blushing a little bit. "Um...I made the necklace myself. I spent several hours last night making it. As for the emerald...I found it in the Ruins of Hamarabi. It...it looked pretty good, so I decided to take it. Consider it a 'good luck charm', right?"

"Wow...I'm impressed Alex. But anyway, thanks! I'll put it on right now!" Kanonno replied. She took the necklace, and put it over her head and around her neck, placing it under her armor. Alex then put his own necklace back under his armor as well. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two for a few seconds before Kanonno spoke again.

"Hey, Alex...do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Kanonno asked, her tone serious now.

"'The right thing'? What do you mean by that?" Alex asked.

Kanonno lowered her head. "I've been thinking a lot the last ten days about whether this is right. I mean, I know Valvus' plan and what he did to me. I can't stay with him any longer, and even if I went back, I'd be killed. But on the other hand, I'm the Pascan Descender. My entire purpose is to protect Pasca and make sure it's safe. Alex...I know you have good intentions, but each day, more and more Pascans are killed by the UFTW. And I'll be fighting the very people I'm supposed to be protecting! I just...I just don't know if this is right. I want to be with you and everyone else...but I'm torn between my life mission and my sense of right and wrong."

Alex was silent, thinking Kanonno's situation over in his head. "...I don't think anyone can tell you what's right or wrong. But I will say this. It's true that we kill Pascans each day. I, myself, hate it and I hate this damn war. However, it was Valvus who forced this situation, and Valvus is the greatest threat to Pasca at the moment. While we are fighting your people, we never wanted to. But Valvus is using all of these people as a shield while he cowers up in Lavard. It's his fault for creating the entire situation that we're trapped in right now. If we can stop him, then we can end this whole war in an instant. That's all I have to say."

"...Thanks, Alex. I'll think about what you said." Kanonno replied. The two silently headed off to breakfast, Alex deep in thought.

_Valvus...I won't ever forgive you. You've created too many victims already, victims that could have been avoided if you weren't such a damn coward! And your plan...your plan is insane! What do you gain from it?!_

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_Nine days earlier, UFTW conference room..._

All of the Ad Libitum members were sitting down at the table in the conference room, candles providing some dim light. They were all staring at the head of the table, where Kanonno sat. On Kanonno's right sat Alex, while on her left sat Kratos, who seemed to be staring at her with some curiosity. Finally, after a few moments, Kratos spoke up.

"Kanonno. I trust that you know why you're here, right?" Kratos began.

Kanonno nodded. "Yes, Kratos."

"Good. Then with that out of the way, tell us all. Just what is Valvus' plan? We've been fighting him for nearly four months now, yet will still have no idea what he's planning." Kratos asked.

Kanonno gave a heavy sigh, knowing that everyone would not take the news well. "...Alright. Valvus'...Valvus' plan is...is...to destroy Pasca and everyone on it."

Everyone at the table gasped, shocked at what Kanonno just said, and Alex literally stood up in his chair, shocked. "Ka...Kanonno...is this true?"

Kanonno nodded calmly. "Yes, it's true."

"But...but how? How is that possible? Destroying an entire world..." Nanaly asked.

"...Valvus has found a way. First off, he's gathered mana from many worlds and stored them in a place called the Ruins of Jezid. He intends to use the mana to boost the power of a device that we acquired in one of the worlds that we went to. We had the device studied for months, but we shipped it off to Lavard around the time Tribilin kidnapped Genis, Harold, Cless, and Jay. Ever since then, it's been in the Ruins of Jezid. The device holds amazing power, and apparently, a black sword of sorts can control it. With the mana, Darius will boost the device's power, which he will use to destroy the World Tree, and in turn, all of Pasca.

In order to make sure that this plan was accomplished, Valvus and the rest of us went from world to world, stealing the mana seeds from each world and killing its inhabitants at times. We had planned to take Terresia in order to gain the last bit of mana we needed for the device to work in the Ruins of Jezid. In order to gain help, we went to another world and managed to blackmail Cruxis, an organization run by..." Kanonno explained.

Kratos abruptly interrupted, his eyes meeting Kanonno's. "What did this Cruxis organization do for you?"

"Um...well, we blackmailed them into making weapons and armor for us. Like the portal from Pasca to Gilgulim, there is an incomplete portal in the city of Vascallus in Lavard. We have them make weapon and armor in their world and ship it through the portal, where we used them to start our invasion. However, since the invasion failed, we never got that last bit of mana. However, I think that even without it, the device may still have the potential to destroy the World Tree." Kanonno answered.

"What kind of device can do that!?" Senel asked.

Kanonno sighed again. "Valvus...Valvus never told me the full details, but I did learn the name of the device. He told me it was called the Eye of God..."

As soon as she finished those words, Stahn, Rutee, Leon, Philia, Garr, and Johnny all gasped in horror, their eyes wide. Nanaly and Harold also looked shocked, but nowhere nearly as shocked as those six.

"Did...did you just say the 'Eye of God'?!" Rutee exclaimed, still shocked.

"Yes. Do you know about it or something?" Kanonno asked.

Garr nodded. "Yes. It is a device of great and horrible power that originated on Stahn, Rutee, Leon, Philia, Johnny, and my world."

"Just what is the Eye of God and how does it work?" Jade asked, gazing at the six with interest.

Philia cleared her throat before speaking up. "The Eye of God is basically a giant sphere of lens-the power source of our world. It is an artifact from an ancient war 2000 years before our time, where it was used as a horrible weapon energy source. After the war, it was sealed away, never to be used again. It remained that way for 2000 years...until one day.

Before I came to Terresia, I used to be a priest at a place called Straylize Temple in my world. The head of the temple, a man named Grebaum, suddenly stole it one day in front of my eyes, petrifying me in the process."

Leon continued from there. "At the same time, back in Darilsheid, our capital, we had recieved a report that the temple was attacked. Stahn, Rutee, and a friend of theirs named Rutee were under arrest at the time, and they volunteered to help investigate. We agreed, and then we set out for Straylize Temple. When we arrived there, Grebaum had already left. We cured Philia from her petrification, and she joined up. For the next month or so, we traveled all around our world in pursuit of Grebaum-we met Johnny there, and he joined up with us for a brief time to deal with a local affair."

Garr then spoke up. "This is where I come in. Grebaum suddenly arrived in the city of Heidelberg, my city, and he murdered my father and took over the castle. I met up with Stahn and the others, and together, we broke through the castle and finally confronted Grebaum, who fought us using the power of the Eye of God. We defeated him, and managed to stop the Eye of God. After that, we went our seperate ways, but less than a month later, Gilgulim appeared and...devoured our world."

"..." Kanonno looked down at this, clearly remembering that time.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Kanonno! I forgive you for what happened! It's not your fault, and after hearing your situation, I understand why you did it. So don't mull over it!" Stahn exclaimed, smiling.

Kanonno looked in surprise, and smiled in relief and joy. "Th...thanks, Stahn. It really means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"So basically, let me get this straight: the Eye of God is an artifact that can either act as an energy source or power up something greatly?" Jade asked Philia.

Philia nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"Wait a minute. If that's the case, then why hasn't Valvus just used it already? If he's got it, then why doesn't he use it?" Lloyd asked.

Alex suddenly got an idea. "Does it have anything to do with the Descender artifacts?"

Having heard the incident where Alex visited the Ruins of Hamarabi, Kanonno nodded. "That's right. You see, the Ruins of Jezid has incredible power stored within it. So powerful that no one can control it. If they even tried, they would be killed by its overwhelming power. Therefore, in order for someone to control its power, the three Descender artifacts are needed to control its power. Currently, Valvus has two of them, and is searching for the third one feverently. Once he has all three, he will channel the Ruins of Jezid's power into the Eye of God, and use it to destroy Pasca. Not only that...but the Eye of God is supposingly indestructable."

"...No, it's not." Leon remarked. He glanced at all of the Ad Libitum members from his world except Johnny, and after a few seconds, they all nodded.

Kanonno looked surprised. "You know of a way to destroy the Eye of God?"

The five nodded, and suddenly drew their swords out, placing them on the table, Harold's eyes widening as she looked at them, Garr speaking up. "Yes. We haven't told any of you yet...but our swords are actually sentient beings called Swordians. Though of course, I assume Harold knows all about them already, right?"

Everyone turned to Harold, who was suddenly smirking widely. "Of course I know all about them! I made them, you know!"

"You...made them?" Senel asked, looking at Harold in surprise.

Harold nodded. "Yep! The Swordians are special swords that I, the great Harold Belserius, made! These are swords that each contain the memories and personality of five important figures during the war Philia mentioned earlier. Stahn's Swordian is called Dimlos, Rutee's is Atwight, Leon's is Chaltier, Philia's is Clemente, and Garr...or should I say, Woodrow's is Igtenos."

"Woodrow?" Everyone seemed to ask, staring at Garr.

Garr shrugged. "Woodrow's my real name. I go by Garr so that just in case any one from my world had ended up in Terresia, they wouldn't know who I was if they asked for my name, since I'm a prince there."

Accepting this explanation, everyone turned back to Harold, who continued to speak. "The Swordians were created in order to defeat Miktran, the leader of the Heaven Forces in the war mentioned by Philia. They allow the users to cast powerful magic, each one specifiying in their own element-Dimlos is fire, Atwight is water, Clemente is lightning, Chaltier is earth, and Igtenos is wind. They are also the only things capable of destroying the Eye of God..."

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_A while later (Kanonno's memory)..._

Kanonno stepped out of the conference room, sighing as she walked forward. Suddenly, she gasped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, and saw Kratos standing behind her, motioning for her to go down the other hallway where they could talk privately. Kanonno nodded, and the two walked over to the hallway.

"Kratos? What is it?" Kanonno asked.

Kratos sighed. "Kanonno...you said you've dealt with Cruxis, right? Then...you must know who I truly am, right?"

"...Yeah. You're Kratos Aurion, one of Mithos' Four Seraphim, one of his companions from your world." Kanonno replied, lowering her head.

Kratos suddenly looked at Kanonno pleadingly, something uncharacteristic of him. "Then please, just do one thing for me. Promise me that you won't tell anyone, especially Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine."

Kanonno looked surprised. "You...know them from your world?"

"...I've spoken to much. Just promise me you won't tell anyone, then." Kratos quickly replied, realizing his blunder.

"...You were kind to me all this time when I was in Ad Libitum, even when it didn't seem like it. And...you seem to genuinely devoted to our cause despite the fact Mithos is working for Pasca. Very well then. Out of respect for you, I promise I won't tell anyone your secret." Kanonno replied, smiling reluctantly.

"...Good." Kratos replied.

Kanonno took this as a sign to leave, and turned around, headed back to her room through the hallways...

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_Present..._

Alex sighed, finishing up his memories of the meeting, not really caring to remember the rest, nothing exciting having happened in that time. He immediately shook the thoughts from his head, deciding to focus on eating right now. He got his food from the main table of the mess hall, and went over to the table where Kanonno sat. He then put his plate down, and started eating.

"So, Alex, I know this may not be an appropriate question during war, but what do you think of Pasca?" Kanonno asked, though a bit reluctantly.

Alex sat up, and thought about that for a minute. "...If I ignore the fact that there's a war going right now, I'd have to say I like it. It's a lot bigger than Terresia, there's a lot more towns, and their culture is very interesting. At the same time, however, it reminds me of home. Granvoise is like a combination of Ailily and Doplund, and Scollance is like a combination of Gavada and Doplund."

Kanonno gave a sad smile. "They both used to be a lot more beautiful. When I was the Descender, before I...did what I did, there were a lot more forests. The fields were a lot more bountiful, and there were flowers everywhere. Maybe...maybe if hadn't done what I did, Pasca would still have retained the true beauty it once had..."

Alex grew a little mad. "Kanonno, stop saying those things! We both know that you regretted what you did, and you've tried to repent for the rest of your life! So try to forget what you did. Now then, what's Lavard like?"

"Hmm...well, it has lots of forests, with rich farming soil, and at the same time, it contains some of the most important political towns. Most of Valvus' supporters are around that area, and if any revolutionary forces are found, they are executed immediately. Like what happened at Rugen..." Kanonno explained. When she finished saying "Rugen", however, a horrified look turned onto her face, and she stood up abruptly.

"Kanonno? What's wrong?" Alex asked.

Kanonno started panicking for a second before calming down. "Alex...I need to have a meeting with everyone. _Now_. There are thousands of innocent lives at stake if I don't! I'll go ask Kratos right now!"

"Wait, Kanonno!" Alex exclaimed, following Kanonno as she headed for Kratos' table..."

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_Besos Strategy Room, twenty minutes later..._

Everyone had gathered in the strategy room, sitting on the tables and facing the wall. Standing up against the wall was Kratos, Jade, and Kanonno, though the two generals were staring at Kanonno.

"Alright Kanonno, tell us why you have called this strategy meeting." Kratos began.

Kanonno nodded, pulling up a map of Scollance. "Yes. Alright everyone, we're right here, in Besos. The day before I recovered my memory, Valvus told me that I was to be given another assignment after the battle. He told me to head off to the city of Gernicamo, where apparently, a rebel group is stationed. The same rebel group that is working with you right now."

"They're called the Green Blades." Alex explained.

"The Green Blades...I see. Where is their leader right now?" Kanonno asked.

Eugene looked at the door. "He's in this castle right now. Should we get him?"

Kanonno nodded. "Yes. He needs to hear this information personally."

"Very well. Soldier! Fetch Nomvar!" Eugene exclaimed to one of the soldiers at the door. The soldier saluted, and quickly ran off, headed upstairs.

Kanonno had a puzzled look on her face, but quickly shook it off, as she drank a cup of coffee. "Anyway, while you're waiting, allow me to explain one more thing. Two years ago, after Valvus erased my memories and made me into 'General Belladonna', we hunted down a similar revolutionary group..."

Alex listened as Kanonno told the story of Rugen, remembering when Kanonno had told him about this incident while she was in the prison cell. Just then, the door opened, the soldier returning with Nomvar behind him.

"Good work, soldier. Alright Kanonno, let me intro..." Alex started.

CRASH!

Everyone stared at Kanonno, who had dropped her coffee the second she saw Nomvar, her eyes and mouth agape. Nomvar, remembering what Kanonno was before she regained her memory, suddenly looked down at the ground, feeling uncomfortably at the moment.

"It...It...can't be...COLONEL SIMILOB!?" Kanonno exclaimed in shock.

"Colonel?" Everyone said at once. They all turned their heads towards Nomvar, who kept looking down with a shameful glance, painful memories coming back to him. Nomvar finally gathered the courage to raise his head, and locked his eyes with Kanonno.

"Hey, Nomvar...what does she mean 'Colonel'?" Alex asked.

Nomvar sighed, taking a deep breath before speaking. "...I had hoped none of you would ever find out, but I guess I have no choice but to tell you the truth now. Before I...Before I founded the Green Blades...I used to be a colonel, personally working side-by-side with Valvus."

Everyone gasped in shock, and Nomvar lowered his head again before continuing. "This was back when I was younger and more foolish...I first joined the military in 1592, bored of life and wanting to do something good. I lived in Lavard at the time, and grew up in the city of Rugen. I was brought in by propaganda of the military, and I signed up, becoming a private under Valvus. Over the next couple of years, I fought and fought and my ranking increased, and by the year 1596, I was a colonel. At that time, I was personally working with Valvus, and I learned all sorts of secrets of Pasca. Then the Descender Annihilation Incident occurred...don't worry, Kanonno, I forgive you for it."

Kanonno let out a choked gasp, and Nomvar continued. "After the revival of Pasca, I continued to serve under Valvus. During the coup d'etat that Valvus lead, I fought with Valvus as we took over Lavard together. Shortly after that, I met Senza. We dated for six months together until I asked her to marry me...Valvus agreed I could get married. It was around that time that Belladonna...or should I say, Kanonno, joined the army. We pursued a rebel force know as the Unterlange Morter Retabli, followers of an organization that had murdered Valvus' father forty years prior to that. Their goal was to kill Valvus, and later on, they wanted to kill Kanonno, too."

_I see...that explains why Valvus really pursued them._ Alex thought.

"Anyway, we went around Pasca, killing off the organization one by one, until they finally retreated to Rugen, their last stronghold. Valvus requested to the cities' leaders that if they did not release the leaders to them, there would be serious consequences. They refused...and we were forced to destroy the entire city, along with everyone who lived in it. I was horrified at what we had done...and the respect I had for Valvus suddenly shattered in an instant. When we returned to Lavard Castle, I confronted him about it..."

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_Lavard Castle, two years ago._

_"JUST WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!?" A younger Nomvar shouted, slamming his hand into the wall. He was in Valvus' private chambers, standing by the doorway. The torches were dim, as the hour was late, and the windowsills were bound shut, leaving the room dark. Nomvar's attire was different at the time. Instead of the black shirt and red jacket, he wore blue plate mail, with a helm that covered up his hair. _

_Valvus turned around slowly towards Nomvar, a blank look on his face as he stared Nomvar down. "What are you talking about?"_

_Nomvar's face was filled with fury. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! I'm talking about what we just did to Rugen! There were thousands of innocents there...thousands of them...and we all killed them. Some of them were my friends! There was no reason anyone had to die back there except for the rebel leaders! And the city itself! We didn't need to burn down every house and building that lay in plain sight! So why the hell did we have to do such a horrible thing!?"_

_"Horrible? Horrible is what the city was. They knew they were housing criminals there. If they had simply given them up like I asked them to, this all could have been prevented. But their response was 'no'. Therefore, this makes them just as guilty as the rebels themselves. Since they were all as guilty as the rebels, they all deserve the same punishment. Otherwise, this same rebellious feeling that city possessed could have spread all around Pasca. Now that wouldn't be good now, would it?" Valvus replied, shutting his eyes while saying this._

_"How can...how can you say that?! Do you realize what you're doing!? Master Valvus, these people that you've killed are your own people! Without people, we're powerless! From events like these, a huge revolution could spark! If all of these people united together, they could easily come here and defeat all of us. You, me, all of us can be defeated easily if these people were to unite! And this is how you treat these people!? Just how will you explain this to the rest of Pasca?!" Nomvar exclaimed._

_Valvus merely sighed. "It's simple. A fire broke out by accident, engulfing all of Rugen tragically. The people are easy to fool...they think of me as their savior from warfare. They'll accept anything I tell them. Besides, even if the truth were to come out, I would tell the people that the rebel faction was intent on killing me and seizing power, hoping to bring back the old days of warfare. They would all immediately side with me then. Or are you suggesting they wouldn't, Colonel Similob?"_

_"Rrrgh...the people should know the truth! They're the true ones who give our world their power!" Nomvar retorted._

_"...Colonel Similob. As your commanding officer, I order that you leave this room immediately. If you ever go into my room without permission again, you will be executed. Is that understood? I don't think _she _would be very happy upon learning of your death." Valvus answered, turning around again and waving his hand._

_Gripping his fists furiously, Nomvar turned around, opened the two double doors, and slammed them behind him. Valvus let out a sigh as Nomvar left the room..._

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_Present..._

"...And that was the final straw for me. I thought Valvus was a good man, but that day I learned he was a selfish man who didn't really care at all for his people. That night, in my room, I finally made up my mind. I took what I needed, and I escaped out of my window to the ground below. I was spotted and they fired arrows at me. One of them hit me in the back...I still have a scar from it. However, I managed to evade them, and I escaped into the capital town of Lavard City. There, I met up with Senza.

I told her about the truth of what had happened, and that I wanted to defect from Valvus and start a rebel organization, with the goal being the death of Valvus and the revival of old kingdoms, and asked her to join me. For reasons even I don't know today, Senza seemed to think about it like it was a really painful decision, but she finally agreed with me. For the next two months, we ran all around Pasca, evading pursuers, until we finally arrived in Shiroc.

There, we managed to gather followers, and soon, word spread all around Pasca of the rebel organization. We then formed the Green Blades, and stationed them all around Pasca. However, me and Senza promised to each other that we would not get married until we had accomplished our goal. And that's it...I can understand if some of you hate me for this..." Nomvar finished.

Silence filled the room as everyone took in the full brunt of Nomvar's words. Finally, Lloyd spoke up. "...So what?"

Nomvar was caught off guard by Lloyd's statement. "What? What do you mean 'so what'?"

"It means what it means, Nomvar! Who cares if you were a colonel working for Valvus?! Who cares what you had to do at Rugen?! None of that matters to us! To me, at least, you will always be Nomvar, leader of the Green Blades, and our companion! What you did in the past doesn't make a difference on who you are now. You are different from then, Nomvar. I will accept you for who you are, not who you were. Understand, Nomvar?" Lloyd exclaimed, surprising and impressing many of the people there.

Nomvar looked at Lloyd in surprise, then lowered his head, smiling. "Thank you."

With that solved, Alex turned back to Kanonno. "So, Kanonno, why did you ask us to gather here again?"

"Ah, that's right! Colo...no, Nomvar! The Pascans are planning to turn the city of Gernicamo into the next Rugen!" Kanonno exclaimed.

Everyone gasped, Nomvar having a horrified and angry look on his face. "WHAT?!"

Kanonno sadly nodded. "I'm not joking. Unless we do something quickly, the city will be destroyed! According to Valvus, your 'Green Blades' organization holds a heavy influence in that city. Is it true?"

"...It's true. Gernicamo is pretty much our main base in the Scollance region. It's at a good point where we're close enough to the town of Yazak, where many military troops pass by, allowing us to gain information easily, and we're far away from most other cities, meaning that no one really checks the city out a lot. I guess my men must have gotten careless and were noticed by the Pascan military. But I...I'm the leader of the Green Blades...this is my responsibility! General Aurion! Please, allow me to request that you send me and a unit to Gernicamo!" Nomvar exclaimed, turning to Kratos.

Kratos closed his eyes for a minute. "...Very well. I'll allow it. Kanonno, how many Pascan soldiers will be in this operation?"

"Me? I don't know...but if I had to guess, maybe about eight thousand?" Kanonno replied.

Kratos nodded. "Then we'll send a unit of sixteen thousand to combat that. It'll be hard to travel since the snow has still been going, but you should be able to make it. General Kanonno, I place you in charge of this operation. You will be accompanied by General Terresca, General Gallardo, Major Kelvin, and Captain Alvein. Is that clear?"

Kanonno nodded, saluting. "Understood, Krat...er, General Aurion."

"Good. Leave whenever you feel like you must, although my opinion is that you do so as quickly as possible." Kratos finished...

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_Two days later..._

Alex was riding on Devatos, still headed on the road towards Gernicamo. He was riding next to Kanonno, who was currently riding on her own horse. The entire trip, the two had spent their time talking to each other and catching up, although Alex could tell she was worried more about Gernicamo at the moment. Kanonno was now wearing a silver helm, not only for defense, but to hide her hair, as she figured most of the Pascans she killed wouldn't exactly be happy to see her, and that most of them would recognize her by her hair. Alex sighed, and continued riding.

Nomvar was riding in the front of the formation, silently praying that his men were alright. Cless and Garr rode beside him as escorts, and Eugene rode in the middle. The other soldiers followed them, most of them infantry, though there were some cavalry soldiers. Alex gazed around for a bit, but was broken out of his thoughts as a voice called out.

"General Kanonno! We have visual confirmation of the city!" A scout shouted from ahead.

Kanonno gasped, holding her breath. "Is it intact or is it destroyed?!"

"It's intact, General!" The scout replied.

Kanonno then breathed in relief, smiling. Nomvar had a similar reaction, and he started riding faster, his force following his will. Kanonno wanted to ride up to, but Alex grabbed her arm, knowing this was something only Nomvar could truly understand. Kanonno stared at him for a moment, and nodded, as if she could read his mind. The rest of the Ad Libitum members nodded, and continued at their normal pace.

At the city itself, a guard suddenly noticed Nomvar charging through, then turned to another guard. "Raiaz, we've got company!"

The second guard, Raiaz, noticed this and got his bow ready. "Mecos, use your binoculars and check the rider out!"

Mecos, the first guard, nodded, and got his binoculars out. When he saw Nomvar, he gasped, nearly dropping his binoculars. "W...Wait! Raiaz...it's Commander Similob himself!"

"Wh...what!? Let me see!" Raiaz replied, taking the binoculars from Mecos. He zoomed in on the rider, and he gasped as well when he saw Nomvar. "It really is Commander Similob! Open the gate!"

Mecos nodded, and begun turning the handle required to open the gate, and the doors started to swing open. The UFTW quickly trailed behind Nomvar, surprising the guards, but they figured that if they were with Nomvar, it would be alright to let them through. Nomvar and the UFTW entered the city, and took a look around them.

The city was kinda small for a city, but it still had the main features of a city. The roads were made of marble while the buildings and the houses around them were made of wood and stone. At the town square, many buisinesses were found there, such as the weapons and armor shop, the item shop, blacksmith, clothing shop, the local tavern/inn, and a few restaraunts. The square was filled with people, but they all cleared out and ran when they saw the UFTW enter the city. They stood idle in the square, waiting for orders.

Kanonno faced the rest of the UFTW. "Soldiers, with the exception of Major Kelvin and Captain Alvein, are to wait in the square. Nomvar, if you would, please show the rest of us the way to the Green Blade's hideout in the city."

All of the soldiers gave a sign of affirmation, and Nomvar nodded. He began walking towards the local tavern/inn, named the _Weary Traveller's Inn_. The six stepped inside, where they could see that there was not that many people there, though that may have been expected in the early afternoon. The tavern looked like any ordinary tavern, with many booths lined up around the room, and the bartender's table where several men and women sat. Nomvar then walked up to the bartender's table, and took a seat, Alex sitting up next to him.

Several seconds later, the bartender walked up to Nomvar, smiling. "Hello, traveler, and welcome to the Weary Traveller's Inn! How can I assist you!?"

Nomvar leaned over, and whispered into his ear. "Avoli's messengers reveal the light of freedom."

The bartender visibly paled, made sure no one was watching, and whispered back to him. "...Second floor. Third room to the right. Take this key, you'll need it."

Nomvar took the key the bartender offered, and thanked him with a nod, leaving the table. He motioned to the five other Ad Libitum members, and they headed to the staircase that lead up to the inn section of the tavern. On the second floor, Nomvar walked down until he reached the third door on the right. He took the key, and placed it in the keyhole, turning it as the door creaked open. The door was a small, wooden closet with a spiral staircase leading down towards a secret passage in a thin, narrow hallway.

"Hey, Kanonno, I have a question." Alex asked, whispering to her.

"What is it?" Kanonno asked.

"Just what is this 'Avoli' that I keep hearing about? Nomvar just mentioned it too." Alex answered.

"Oh, that. No wonder you wouldn't know it. In Pascan culture, Avoli is the Supreme Goddess and the Goddess of Rebirth, who watches over this world and keeps the World Tree flowing with the mana we need to live. Or so they say." Kanonno answered.

Alex nodded. "Avoli...that's a good sounding name. Judging from all that's happened though, it seems that..."

Nomvar raised his arm, all of them having reached the bottom of the staircase, which was in a secret basement level. "We've reached the hideout. Leave the rest to me."

The five all nodded, and Nomvar knocked on the door three times in succession. A voice came from the door. "Who holds the chalice of light?"

"The saviors of Pasca, the holy ones." Nomvar replied.

At that, Nomvar stepped back, and the door opened, revealing a man in his early 40's, wearing a standard red tunic with leather boots, and with brown hair that was greying, his brown eyes scanning the six. Suddenly, he gasped upon seeing Nomvar.

"C...Commander Similob! It's...it's an honor to meet you! I'm Elzor Vanium, head of the Green Blades unit in Gernicamo." The man replied, bowing.

Nomvar nodded. "Thank you, but we don't have a moment to waste! Gather up the rest of the Green Blades and bring them and me to the biggest room you have here. There's a serious issue that can't wait..."

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_That evening..._

Alex was sitting on the edge of the eastern wall of Gernicamo, having decided to take the night watch on that side. He sat there silently, staring into the moonlight as the cold winter air passed by him, curling up as he tried to keep himself warm. He tried rubbing his hands, but he mentally slapped himself when he realized he was wearing gauntlets, and that taking them off would probably make him feel even colder. He shivered for a few seconds, when suddenly, an object came flying at him from behind. He gasped, but then looked puzzled as he saw the object was just a blanket. Looking behind him, he saw Kanonno walking up, holding another blanket herself, along with two cups of coffee.

Kanonno giggled after seeing Alex's reaction. "Did I startle you?"

"Startle isn't exactly the right word for it! When your on the night watch and you see some object pop out of nowhere, you're bound to be startled! The next thing I know, you'll be throwing a sword at me!" Alex replied, sounding a little bit upset, though he partially feigned some of it.

"Hey! I went all this way just to give you a warm blanket and some coffee, and this is how you repay me? Fine, then I guess I'll take the blanket back." Kanonno grumbled, though Alex could tell she was faking her frustration.

Alex laughed, throwing the blanket all over himself. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sorry. Thanks for coming out all this way just to meet up with me."

Kanonno merely sighed, and sat next to Alex. She handed him one of the cup of coffees, and he took it, thanking her. The two of them merely drank in silence as they continued to stare straight ahead of themselves, the only thing in sight being the plains, and the many mountains that made up this region of Scollance. Alex yawned as he took another sip of coffee, but he stopped when he saw that Kanonno's face looked disturbed, a look of sadness on it.

"Kanonno? What's wrong?" Alex asked, turning his head towards her.

Kanonno seemed to tremble for a second, then turned to face Alex. "I was...thinking about something. All those years-or in your case, months- ago, after we had stopped Gilgulim and revived the World Tree, we...we made a promise to meet each other again someday, all of us together again. You remember that, don't you, Alex?"

Alex nodded, smiling. "Of course I remember. And we fullfilled that promise, didn't we?"

"...No. No we didn't. That...that promise...is now a broken promise that can never be fullfilled!" Kanonno exclaimed, throwing the coffee cup to the ground below her, watching as it shattered.

Alex looked at her with great confusion. "What are you talk...oh no. You don't mean..."

"Yes. Yes I do. That promise was made between you, me...and Mormo. The three of us all made that promise together, and we swore to see it through. But Mormo...Mormo's dead now! And I saw it with my own eyes! I could have saved him! If I had realized what was going on earlier, I could have stopped Tribilin right then and there and saved him! But instead, Tribilin treated him like a doll that was meant to be ripped apart! How am I supposed to be the Descender of this world...if I couldn't even save my friend!?" Kanonno exclaimed. She then started sobbing.

_Kanonno...have you been hiding your thoughts all along?_ "Kanonno...I told you back in that jail cell. Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do. At the time, you had forgotten Mormo. There was no way you could have remembered anything we did or the promises we made. However, for Mormo's sake, I have made a promise that I swear to fullfill. I'll kill Tribilin, and together, we'll make him feel the pain of all that he has done! So Kanonno, stop worrying about it. Would Mormo want us to be beating ourselves up for this?" Alex stated.

Kanonno looked up at Alex for a minute, and then suddenly started to cry into Alex's lap, crying out Mormo's name. Alex was caught off guard, as he was unsure what to do in this situation. Instinctively, he held on to Kanonno, letting her cry out her pain to him, while he stayed silent.

_Damn it...Tribilin...not only did you kill Mormo, kidnap my friends, and seal away Kanonno's memory, you've also crushed her spirit. I swear to you...I'll make you feel ten times as much pain for every personal offense you do to me! I will kill you...and I will be able to allow Mormo to rest in peace when I have done so..._

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_Morning..._

A bell rang in the morning as the dawn broke, causing Alex to wake up. He slowly stirred his eyes and yawned, stretching for a few seconds. He felt something weird weighing him down, and when he looked down, he gasped.

Kanonno had fallen asleep on Alex's lap, having not been woken by the bell, her helm off. She continued to sleep, breathing softly as her body moved back and forth. She had fallen asleep peacefully, and her eyes were no longer red. Alex started blushing heavily, and looked down on Kanonno, wanting to wake her up, but at the same time, wanting her to rest as much as possible. He had to admit though, Kanonno looked pretty cute while she was asleep...

_Wait, what the hell am I thinking?_ Alex thought, hitting his head. He sat there for a minute, deciding what course of action to take. Finally, his habits as a soldier gave way, and he took of his right gauntlet. He began to blush heavily again, and moved his hand forward nervously, finally stroking Kanonno gently across the face, his blush growing even greater as he felt her soft skin. Kanonno began to stir from her sleep, and Alex quickly put his gauntlet back on, still blushing.

Kanonno blinked her eyes rapidly, and yawned for a second, rubbing her eyes with her hands. She started blinking again, and finally got a clear view, seeing Alex in front of her. She yawned again, and finally stood up.

"Ahh...Good morning, Alex." Kanonno greeted, still half-asleep.

"Good morning, Kanonno. Are you feeling any better now?" Alex asked, still concerned about when she had poured out her feelings about how she blamed herself for Mormo's death.

Kanonno broke out of her trance, and stared at the ground. "...For the most part, yes. But..."

Suddenly, a bell rang three times in a row. Both Alex and Kanonno paled, for they knew what three ringings of a bell meant.

It was time for a battle.

Alex and Kanonno quickly looked around, and saw a red flag being raised towards the town's north gate. Kanonno grabbed her helm, put it on, and the two began running off towards the gate, drawing their weapons. They ran down the staircase close to the wall they were at, and then started making a mad dash for the gate, noticing thousands of other soldiers running towards the gate. The two ran ahead of most of the soldiers, and soon they had arrived at the front of the gate, Eugene and Nomvar standing there.

"Nomvar, what's the situation?" Kanonno immediately asked.

"...A unit of about ten thousand is headed here right now. They are mainly composed of infantry and cavalry, but they've also got heavily armed infantry, who are wearing armor meant to be used to siege a fort or a town. Also, they have great amount of destructive weapons, such as fire, battering rams, catapults, and mages as well. We've also found that they have a few archer units, and that some of them seem to be mercenaries. Also, we've confirmed that the unit is under the command of Tribilin." Nomvar grimly stated.

Alex gritted his teeth upon hearing that name. "...Tribilin."

Nomvar nodded. "With Tribilin as their leader, this just makes the situation worse. Tribilin will just be more than willing to turn this place into an even _worse _version of Rugen. He'll show no mercy, and despite his sadisticness, he's quite intelligent...he'll know when and where he'll strike us. We need to make sure we don't fall for whatever he thinks up."

"Understood. Eugene, what about the defenses?" Alex asked.

"Currently, we have our archer unit focused on the north gate, though they're all stationed around all the gates just in case the enemy's planning something. Other than that, we don't have much aside from the gates...and those won't even last to long with the battering ram and the catapults they have in place. We'll need to place faith in our infantry's strength. But no matter what, we cannot let the Pascans get ground in this city. If they do, the whole reason we came here will be for nothing." Eugene replied.

Kanonno nodded. "Alright. How far is the enemy from here?"

"About twenty minutes, according to our scouts, but its more like fifteen minutes now." Eugene replied.

"Good. Everyone, prepare for battle! All soldiers are to remain at the gates! Don't let the enemy attack the city! Archers and mages! Try to take out their artillery from a distance! Cavalry, try to slow down their advancements! Everyone else, wait until they reach the gates! Now hurry up and get moving! There are thousands of civilians at risk!" Kanonno ordered, waving her arm.

The soldiers yelled in response, and quickly got about to doing their duties, running off into battle...

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_Seven hours later..._

The invasion had ended. The UFTW had won out in the end, having defeated the Pascan forces lead by Tribilin. However, the UFTW had not gotten off scot-free, as the Pascans had managed to destroy some parts of the city, though the damage was small. Also, the Pascans had managed to partially accomplish one of their goals, as they had killed many Green Blade archers during the siege using catapults. However, the city was safe, and that's all that mattered.

Alex was standing in the town square, still exhausted from the battle he just went through. Kanonno was standing beside him, also tired from the battle. The Ad Libitum members were also standing in the square, waiting for Nomvar, who was talking with Elzor. He finished talking, then turned around, headed back towards the five.

"...Thank you for coming along with me. If we hadn't come, I don't think we would have won. This city would have become the next Rugen if we didn't come in time." Nomvar stated, bowing his head.

"Colonel...no, I mean, Nomvar. Do you feel that you have repented yourself for what we did at Rugen?" Kanonno asked, a serious tone in her voice.

Nomvar lowered his head. "No. I will never repent my sin for the rest of my life. No matter what I do, the fact that I helped kill innocent civilians will never go away. It's a curse that will follow me to my grave."

"Don't think that way! Sure, you will still have innocent blood on your hands. But if you can do more good than you have done bad, then you will have repented yourself. All you have to do is help Pasca out and you will be remembered for that, not your aid in the destruction of Rugen!" Alex exclaimed, taking a look around the city while doing so.

Nomvar remained silent. "...I will think over your words."

Kanonno nodded. "Okay, let's go. We need to take care of the cleanup, then we'll return to Besos through Alex's portals in two days. Is that clear?"

The five nodded, and Kanonno began walking off, Alex running up to join her, as he was lost in his thoughts.

_That...that was close...if we had come a day later, we would have seen a true tragedy. Valvus, Tribilin...how low are you willing to go just to get what you want?! I swear that there will be no more mindless bloodshed of civilians! I'll kill you both!_

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**So...how was it? I'll admit, I didn't really like the way the chapter ended, but I didn't feel like writing a battle scene. But anyway, things have returned to the normal formula, but the story's just heating up!****The next exciting event is in...12 chapters! Don't miss it! Now then, here's another profile change**

**Nomvar Similob: Seiyu change from Nobutoshi Canna to Kazuhiko Inoue.**

**That's all. Farewell!**


	32. Chapter 31: Lightning of the Gods

**Hi again! Final Poke Mario Fan here, ready with the next chapter. Here it is!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 31: Lightning of the Gods

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_Lavard, a day after the battle of Gernicamo..._

Valvus was sitting in his study, an irritated look on his face as he took a bite out of the ham that he was eating. He was currently looking at a piece of paper with a battle report written on it, the top reading **BATTLE REPORT: GERNICAMO- TRANSCRIBED BY FEDIR PANDON, FROM ACCOUNT GIVEN BY GENERAL TRIBILIN HEMOSES VIA BLUE LIGHT VIEWER.** Valvus shook his head, and sighed. He then reached over to the left side of his desk, where a light blue bell sat. He rang it, and seconds later, a blue light viewer appeared with Darius' face on it.

Darius bowed. "Master Valvus, how can I help you?"

"Pull up a blue light viewer with Tribilin immidiately." Valvus ordered.

"Yes, Master Valvus." Replied Darius. He then stretched his arm out, and released a blue light viewer from his arm. A second later, Darius' face was replaced by Tribilin, who was currently lying down in a cot in a campground somewhere in Scollance, currently reading a book. Though the title couldn't be seen, Valvus made out the name _Marquis de Sade _on the bottom of the book. When Tribilin noticed Valvus, he threw down his book and turned to the blue light viewer, putting on his usual grin.

"Ah, Valvus, Valvus! How can I assist you?" Tribilin asked in his usual mocking tone, glancing over at his book for a minute.

Valvus simply sighed. "Tribilin. Tell me how is it that you lost the battle for Gernicamo?! You had the element of surprise, you had more soldiers than the reported number of rebel soldiers, and you even had siege weapons! How could you lose a battle under those circumstances?! If the battle report is accurate, then how is it that the UFTW knew to come there?"

"My, my, you're not as smart or as calm as I take you to be, Valvus. Why we lost the battle...let me think...oh! I just remembered something! The reason we lost the battle...is because of you! What do you think, Valvus? Our _proud_, _intelligent_, _noble_ emperor, Valvus, caused the complete failure of one of his soldier's battles!" Tribilin replied, taking strides to stress all of the so called "praise" of Valvus in a sarcastic manner.

Darius grew angry. "Tribilin! Don't you dare talk about Master Valvus that way!"

Tribilin just smirked wider. "Now, don't tell me you've lost your cool and intelligence either, Darius. Now then, listen to me. The UFTW, as you all know, recently got a living gold mine of information recently. How do I put it...this gold mine is named Kanonno. And, if I recall correctly, she recieved a special assignment the day before she regained her memories. Something about...oh I don't know...the destruction of Gernicamo? Who was the one who gave her the order to destroy Gernicamo, I wonder? Oh, wait...I know now! It was you, Valvus! You let your plan fall right into the enemies' hands!"

"..." Valvus was rendered speechless, a shocked look on Darius' face upon seeing this.

"Nothing to say, huh? Does the truth hurt? This whole operation would have been a success had you kept your mouth shut and used your head before giving Kanonno that assignment? If I were you, I would have given the assignment to someone who was actually loyal to you. But _no_, you picked the most unstable of us all in terms of loyalty. No wonder the military isn't as good as it used to be...maybe you're just not cut out for this work, eh, Valvus?" Tribilin continued, sitting back down.

"Tribilin! Stop it! Insult Master Valvus again and..." Darius started.

Tribilin kept smirking. "...'And' what? Have you forgotten, Darius? Valvus can't execute me for any reason whatsoever. Because without me, he has no hope for keeping Siltran and the Silver Knights alive to work for him. Without me, all four of them would have died a long time ago. Valvus cares too deeply about them for him to execute me and effectively kill them."

"...Darius. This conversation is over. Dispel both blue light viewers." Valvus said, his voice filled with shock.

"Y...Yes, sir." Darius replied. He then waved his hands, and both blue light viewers disappeared, leaving Valvus alone in his room, silent...

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_Besos..._

Alex was sitting in the strategy room, gathered for another meeting. He glanced over to his left, where Kanonno sat, and then looked over towards the wall, where, as usual, Kratos, Jade, and Jay were standing. Sitting around the table were the Ad Libitum members as well as the other generals. They had the map of Scollance pulled up towards the wall, and after everyone had settled down to look at the three, the meeting began.

"Alright then, now that we're all assembled, let's begin." Kratos started, motioning over to Jay, who nodded.

"Very well then, take a look at this map. Right now, we're currently in Besos, which is located on the eastern side of Scollance. To the north of us is the Creitz Pass, a long, narrow valley that goes in between the mountain ranges of Scollance. To the north of the Creitz Pass lies an underground route that takes you to the Northern Wastelands. We've been getting reports that there's been a lot of activity in that region lately, so we've decided to check it out. To the west of the Creitz Pass lies the western side of Scollance, where the main army is located."

Jay took a breath before continuing. "Right now, we've decided to head through the Creitz Pass, to the Northern Wastelands. This is an extremely dangerous operation. The winter has picked up, meaning that it will be incredibly difficult to move around. Worse, there are plenty of places in the mountains where archers could easily choose to ambush us, and we won't be able to fight back. I'll be perfectly honest with all of you: this is pretty much a suicide mission, with little chance of suceeding."

"But there is no other way to get to the Northern Wastelands. The entire region is surrounded on all sides by mountains, and the mountain passes that could lead there are virtually useless in the winter. The risk of avalanches is also incredibly high, meaning that we could get separated or cornered easily in battle. Therefore, we need to get through the pass or else we won't be able to proceed."

Jade then took off from there. "Everyone, it's not a possibility that the Pascan army will be waiting to ambush us there. It's a _fact _that the Pascan army will be waiting to ambush us at the pass. All that matters is how we will deal with it. We can't let ourselves stay off-guard at any moment during the pass. When the ambush occurs, we need to recover quickly and act fast. No matter what, we can't lose the battle."

Jay followed up. "Now then, here's the strategy that we'll be using. First of all, the Creitz Pass, while being very narrow and the mountain passes above being ideal archer points, does have a weakness. If we launch fire spells in the air, we will be able to cause a reaction with the surroundings, making it harder for the archers to spot us. Once that happens, our mages will use lightning spells, hopefully striking some of the archers down. However, they need to be careful to avoid striking the mountains so they don't cause an avalanche."

"Once the enemy gets worried by the lightning, then we'll have half the mages cast fire spells into the air, while the other half uses wind spells. This will cause the fire to spread, burning down the enemy and clearing some of the snow on the mountain, exposing more archers. We need to run while doing this, or we'll never make it to the Creitz Pass. Once we reach the Creitz Pass, we'll all run in, then set up camp for the day. We need to get through there with mininum casualties, so all of you, be sure that your armor is good enough."

Kratos then continued to speak. "Right. The leaders of this operation will be me, General Curtiss, General Gallardo, and General Halvun. All Ad Libitum members are to join as well. General Yaciel will be leading the operations in taking over the rest of eastern Scollance. Everyone, the operation will begin tomorrow morning at 0500 hours. That is all. You're dismissed."

The group then rose from the table, headed off to make battle preparations. Alex rose up, glanced at the map one more time, and headed for the door as well. Kanonno then followed him as they walked out of the door, Kratos watching this with a rare look of curiosity...

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_Besos mess hall, lunch time..._

Alex was in the mess hall, walking towards an empty table. He sat down, and sighed, grabbing his fork and knife as he began eating some ham. Just then, he saw Kanonno walk over to him, a down look on her face. She sat down, and before Alex could ask her a question, he saw Chester passing by with a _really_ down look on his face.

"Kanonno...are you alright? And is something wrong with Chester?" Alex asked.

Kanonno's head sunk for a second before rising back up. "...You noticed, huh? Yeah...me and Chester just had the not best of conversations. It was necessary, but I feel bad about it."

"'Feel bad'? What happened?" Alex asked in concern.

"Well..."

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_Hallway near the mess hall, ten minutes ago..._

_Kanonno was walking down in a hall that was close to her room. She had just finished her battle preparations, and was headed off to the mess hall, a bit hungry from working. She noticed Chester was a couple of feet back from her. As she continued walking, she didn't notice that one of the stones on the ground was slightly loose. She then tripped on it, falling flat on her face._

_Chester gasped, and ran up to her. "Kanonno! Are you all right?"_

_"Y...Yeah, I'm fine." Kanonno replied, wincing for a second as she got up._

_"Kanonno, enough is enough. You're pushing yourself to hard. You should have..." Chester said, starting to rant._

_"Chester."_

_"...asked me for some help. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and you shouldn't..."_

_"Chester!"_

_"...have decided to do this much work. With everything that's happened lately, you could collapse from all of this. Maybe if I..."_

"CHESTER!" Kanonno finally exclaimed, shouting out as loud as she could.

_Chester stopped ranting and fell back a little bit, surprised by Kanonno. "K...Kanonno? What's wrong?"  
_

_"Chester...you care for me, and I appreciate your concern. However...I can't replace your sister!" Kanonno snapped, suddenly gasping as she said the last sentence, wishing she could take it back._

_Chester gasped, and suddenly, a very depressed look appeared on his face. "..."_

_Kanonno's face went downcast too. "I...I'm sorry about what happened to your sister...really, I am. But she's gone, and you can't keep projecting her onto me! I've already recently been through a similar situation, and I don't need to go through it again! Sometimes, we have to face reality and have to stop running away from our pasts! I had to do the same many times!"_

_"...Kanonno, I...wait...what do you mean 'a similar situation'?" Chester asked, tears forming down his face._

_Kanonno lowered her head. "Well..."_

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_Present..._

"Then what happened?" Alex asked.

"Hmm...to be honest, I can't really remember. I was so caught up in the moment that I...kinda forgot what happened for the next minute of so." Kanonno replied. _There's...there's no need for him to know about _that_..._

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_Eight minutes earlier..._

_"...r or me. That's what happened." Kanonno finished, having just told Chester something._

_"Wh...what? Are you serious?" Chester asked, his voice filled with shock._

_Kanonno nodded. "Yeah...I didn't know what to do. I mean, I wanted to tell him, but how could I? He was completely consumed by it. That was his whole reason for fighting alongside him. So that he could see what he wanted to once again. But Chester...I'm sorry, but you need to face reality. You loved your sister...but she's dead. You're still alive. You can't use someone else as a substitute! In my opinion, it's defiling their memory! To replace someone you love with someone else...it's pretty much taking away the reason you love them alone! I'm...I'm sorry that I sound so harsh. But it's the truth!"_

_"...I see. If you'll excuse me, I'll be going now." Chester replied grimly, turning away from Kanonno, heading towards the mess hall. Kanonno frowned, slamming the wall, and after a minute, she headed towards the mess hall as well..._

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_Present..._

"...So that's it." Kanonno finished, sighing.

Alex sat down in silence, his face grim as well. "...What do you think about the conversation? Do you think you did the 'right thing'?"

"...I don't know. Chester needed to realize that he could never replace his sister with someone else. I knew this conversation had to happen someday ever since those days back in Ailily. But...just now, when I told him that, I was caught up in my emotions, and because of that, I was too harsh on him. I...I knew I needed to talk to him about it sooner or later, but...I just don't know how to deal with it. I can't look at Chester in the eye now after all the things I said." Kanonno replied, taking a sip of her water.

"Just give Chester some time to think over what you said. I would agree, however, that it would be best to keep your distance from Chester until he feels ready to talk again...at least, that's what I think one should do." Alex replied.

"Al...alright." Kanonno answered, sighing once again, the two eating in silence...

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_The next morning..._

Alex was sitting on top of Deratos, in the frontlines, waiting to move out. Next to him sat Kanonno, who was riding on her new horse, a tall, white with a green mark on its head. Alex scanned the crowd, spotting Chester standing towards the left side of the unit, his face downcast and depressed. Alex quickly averted his gaze, and looked over towards the front, where Kratos was talking with General Yaciel, making some last-minute arrangements. They finished talking, and General Yaciel saluted, returning to the castle.

Kratos then turned to face the rest of the unit. "Alright everyone, we're headed out for the Creitz Pass. Remember that once we reach the mountains, you _must_ be on guard at all times. Mages, you're vital to this operation, so be prepared to cast at any time. Archers, you also need to keep a keen eye on your surroundings at all times. Everyone else, just use excessive caution. Now that we're all ready, let's head out. We should be at the pass in three days, so be sure to conserve as much food as possible."

The unit saluted in response, and started heading north, passing through the hellish cold towards the Creitz Pass...

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_Ruins of Jezid..._

Valvus was standing in the main chamber of the ruins, accompanied by the second Silver Knight, who was carrying a chest. Several scientists were standing around the room, doing some work on the ruins. Valvus noticed that the Eye of God was quiet, and that energy was shooting from it like it had been last time. When they all noticed him, they gasped, stopped, and bowed. Valvus nodded, and headed towards the central platform, the Silver Knight following him. When they reached the platform, the Silver Knight put the chest down.

"Master Valvus? If I may ask, what is it that you're doing?" One of the scientists spoke up, slightly nervous.

Valvus glanced over at the scientist, the Silver Knight grabbing out the key to the chest. "I'm going to perform the transfer now."

All of the scientists gasped. "But Master Valvus!" The first scientist exclaimed, "You only have two of the artifacts! If you don't have the third, you could get killed! Please, just wait a little longer until the third is found!"

"It can't be helped. We've been searching for the third for the past four or five months, and we've made no progress. The UFTW, on the other hand, has managed to go from Darlian to Besos in that time, and there's no telling where _they'll_ be in the next four months. We can't waste any time. The transfer must be done now, or it may never be done. As for me...I'll undoubtly need to rest for several weeks after this. I can control the power and my mind will be shielded from it, but my body won't be able to handle the power for very long. Therefore, I'll need a healer ready immediately." Valvus explained.

The lead scientist nodded reluctantly. "...I understand, Master Valvus. I'll prepare our healer for you right now."

Valvus nodded, and the Silver Knight had finished taking off the lock, opening the chest. Valvus looked inside it. Inside the chest were two things. One of them was a pitch-black helm, with blood red lining on the edge of the helm. However, it looked like something was...missing from the top of the helm. The other items were a pair of black gauntlets, a dark scale-like substance covering it. Valvus nodded to the Silver Knight, and removed his gauntlets, replacing them, and placed the helm over his head.

Valvus then walked over towards the pedestal, facing the Eye of God. He then closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, and saw the healer the lead scientist had prepared standing by the side. He looked over to the Eye of God, and touched two of the tablet's holes. Suddenly, a red light emerged from the tablet, resonating with the gauntlets and the helm. The red light then circled around Valvus, and the floor suddenly started shaking slightly, to everyone's surprise, and the lines on the floor lit up with red energy. A few seconds later, however, the shaking ceased, and the lights stopped.

The scientists gave a sigh of relief, and the Silver Knight, who had been looking around in panic, also sighed. Valvus then looked around to make sure everyone was ok, and nodded.

"I'm starting the energy transfer now." Valvus announced. He then stretched his arms forward, facing the Eye of God. He then manipulated his fingers, and suddenly, the red energy from earlier emerged from the tablet once again, and went over to Valvus, hitting him, manifesting in front of his hands. Suddenly, Valvus' face was contorted in pain, and he started grunting loudly, the energy flowing through his helm and gauntlets, but turning a goldish color at his plate of armor, replicating what appeared to be electrocution.

Ignoring the immense pain, Valvus forced himself to face the energy in front of him, and manipulated it, shooting it forward towards the Eye of God. As soon as it made contact, Valvus' eyes widened, and he started screaming in pain, blood pouring out from his chest. Quickly, the healer began casting, and cast Healing Circle, the glyph's energy slowing the bleeding temporarily. Still screaming, Valvus continued manipulating the energy, and seemed to be dragging some sort of blue energy from the Eye of God.

Suddenly, the gold energy attacking Valvus turned pink, and became tentacle-shaped, impaling Valvus through the stomach. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Valvus kept manipulating the energy through his will alone, dragging more and more blue energy out of the Eye of God. After doing this for about thirty seconds, Valvus gave out another loud scream, and threw the blue energy down towards the lines, illuminating the entire chamber. As the final bit of blue energy hit the lines, the red energy went into the lines after Valvus closed his hands, and the pink energy tentacles disappeared. Valvus then collapsed to the floor, unconscious, but before he did, he managed to lift his middle and index finger on his left hand, pointing them at the Silver Knight, who nodded.

"MASTER VALVUS! Healer, keep healing him! We need a full team to save Master Valvus' life at this rate. Nankes! Get to the surface and have the medical team from the camp treat Master Valvus immidiately! Everyone else, try to find something to slow the bleeding down! And get the artifacts off him! Hurry up or he's dead!" The lead scientist exclaimed, ordering the rest around. Everyone nodded, and quickly went off to do the tasks appointed to them. As he looked at Valvus' unconscious body, the lead scientist shook his head.

_Damn it! Why didn't Master Valvus take my advice and wait for the third artifact! I know he needed the transfer done, but if he were patient, he wouldn't have ended up like this! He's too impulsive at times...if he's worked towards whatever plan he has in the last three years already, then why couldn't he have waited a bit longer?! _

Suddenly, the medical team arrived, running down the stairs. They loaded Valvus onto the stretcher, and the Silver Knight removed the helm and gauntlets from him, placing them back in the chest. They lifted the stretcher up, and started running up the stairs towards the surface, hurrying to treat Valvus. The Silver Knight was silent, seeming to be impatient. When the medical had cleared the room, the Silver Knight suddenly drew its sword, and thrust it through the lead scientist's chest, killing him instantly. The other scientists looked at this in horror, staring at the Silver Knight.

"_Gomes. Sol nade hicho, dero es meidei._" The Silver Knight spoke in its own language, his voice being a deep, man's voice. He raised his sword, and slaughtered the rest of the scientists, their screams of agony unheard through the underground chamber...

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_Near the Creitz Pass, three days later..._

Alex was sitting down at the campsite, struggling to keep warm as another cold blast of air hit him, the blanket covering him barely managing to keep up. Around him, he could see other soldiers around him cold, shivering. Suddenly, Alex felt the cold stop for a few seconds, as if there were a wall blocking the air. Seconds later, the "wall" seemed to disappear, and Alex felt the cold air again. He took a sip of his coffee, trying to stay awake, though he would gladly welcome sleep. He heard footsteps, and looked up to see Kanonno, an exhausted look on her face. She rubbed her eyes, and took a seat next to Alex.

"Kanonno? What are you doing up this late at night? You look like you could really use some rest." Alex asked.

Kanonno yawned for a second before speaking. "Y...yeah, but I'm not tired because it's late."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Alex questioned, offering Kanonno a cup of coffee.

"Thank you. And to answer your question, I was trying to shield the outside of the camp from the wind in order to help the soldiers stay warm." Kanonno replied, taking the cup of coffee and taking a sip from it.

Alex gave a confused glance at Kanonno. "...'Shield'?"

Kanonno scratched the back of her head for a second. "Well, you see, as a Descender, I've discovered that I have a unique ability. I have the power to manipulate mana and shape it. Back...back in my days of working for Widdershin, I would use this ability to take mana from the World Trees and have Gilgulim nodes absorb them. However, I have recently discovered the true purpose of my ability. Using the power, I have been able to form shields made of mana to protect me from getting hurt in battle. Sometimes...sometimes the power just manifests automatically...like whenever I'm casting a spell."

"Form shields? Then...then you must be the Descender of Mana Defense! Just like the Guardian said." Alex said, amazed. _So...so that explains why whenever I fought her and tried to attack her while she was using a spell she didn't appear hurt at all._

"'Descender of Mana Defense'? What's that?" Kanonno asked.

"Well...back when I was fighting in the Trabadian Desert, I was told to go back to the World Tree by ...sort of what I'd call a spiritual guide of mine. I haven't told you this yet, but ever since the day I was reborn, there's been a man in white who's been appearing to me and giving me advice on what I should do in order to defeat Valvus. It's...it's complicated talking about him, as even I don't really know what he's about. The only thing I really know about him is that he claims that he is a ghost, and is in fact two ghosts possessing a dead body. He told me to call him 'Prophet'." Alex explained.

Kanonno, who had been listening in a somewhat confused state, suddenly gasped at the last word. "Wait a minute. Did you just say...Prophet?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Alex replied.

Kanonno glanced around, clearly excited. "When...when I was still 'Belladonna', I had a dream in the Trabadian Desert one night, where a white cloaked man appeared to me, claiming his name was Prophet, and that he was both my friend and enemy in two ways. He told me that the key to defeating Valvus was by awakening my 'State Jemummu Recovery' condition, and that I would defect to the UFTW after doing so. I didn't believe him at time, and until later on I ignored the incident completely."

"Then, when I was recovering from...the leg injury you gave me back in Loret in Helmos, Prophet appeared to me in the city. He told me to go and steal the Jade Key from a secret room down in Besos ten days before I reclaimed my memories. He said that if I did so, my memories would be restored soon. I guess he knew what would happen at the Kiseki Fields at the time. Anyway, I agreed with him, and he said he would offer me help on Mixis 15th, then he disappeared again. I waited those days out."

"On Mixis 15th, I was stationed in Besos, a day before the UFTW assault. Prophet then told me some instructions on how to get to the hidden room with the Jade Key, and then left me. I followed his instructions, and then I reached the secret room. When I took the Jade Key from its place, the alarm went off, and the room was locked. He appeared again, and created some sort of portal, which lead me back to my room in Besos. Wait a minute...I've forgotten about the Jade Key all this time!"

Alex, who had been listening in amazement, looked up. "Before I ask you anything else...just what is the Jade Key? Prophet told me that it was imperative that I found it back when he met me for the first time at the front of the Foot of the World Tree, in addition to Cruxis. I've been wondering about it for a while, and I think that I have a right to know."

Kanonno nodded. "Right. The Jade Key is a special key that Valvus had discovered in the Ruins of Jezid. The key is what I'd call the ultimate skeleton key, as the key, when placed next to a lock, changes shape to fit the lock. Valvus then had something called the Emerald Safe built in the Fortress of Scaros, which he specially designed so that only the Jade Key could open it. A few months back, Valvus had something sealed into it, but even I don't know what it is. Valvus intentionally kept me out of the loop of several things."

"I see. Well then...no use thinking about the chest now. Instead, tell me about your full encounters with Prophet.

_And so, Kanonno explained what she had done during her meetings with Prophet, and Alex talked about the incident where Prophet directed him to the Guardian of Descenders._

"...and then I was teleported back to Fort Sudjulement." Alex finished, taking a deep breath.

Kanonno stared at Alex with awe and surprise. "So...so what you're saying is...that we're the Descenders of Mana Destruction and Defense, and that along with the Descenders of Mana Healing and Spell, we can defeat Valvus if we combine our powers together as long as we have the three Descender countermeasure artifacts?"

"Yeah, that's right. According to him, he said that the three other Descenders would come to me rather than me finding them. He was right once, so I think we need to wait this out a bit. We need those two other Descenders, no matter what. Prophet once told me that just because we're Descenders doesn't mean that we're invincible. Far from it. We have to get as much help as we can get. To stop the Eye of God and Valvus' plan, we'll also need Stahn, Rutee, Leon, Philia, and Garr. They're the only ones with the power to destroy it." Alex replied, sighing.

"But...we don't have any idea where the artifacts are, right? Currently, Valvus has us beat 2-1. We don't even have a clue where the next one is." Kanonno remarked sadly.

Alex jerked his head up, remembering something. "Wait a minute...I may know where they are exactly...but I _do _have clues to their locations."

Kanonno looked surprised. "Really? Where?"

"Just a minute. Wait here." Alex replied. He got off of where he was sitting, and walked across the campground, headed towards where Jade sat, currently looking over some battle reports. Alex walked up to him, and saluted.

Jade looked up from the reports. "Hello there, Alex. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you have the report Tear gave you back from our investigation in the Ruins of Hamarabi? I need it for something, if you don't mind, General Curtiss." Alex answered formally.

"Hmm...the report from the Ruins of Hamarabi...I should still have it in my vacuum-space sphere somewhere. If you don't mind waiting a couple of hours, I should have it ready for you." Jade replied.

Alex stared at Jade in shock. "A...a couple of _hours_?!"

Jade shook his head. "A joke. I'll have it in about a minute or so."

Alex merely sighed, and Jade grabbed out his vacuum-space sphere, cycling through the list of items. Finally, he found something, and procured a folder from his sphere. He looked through the folder, and after a minute, he pulled out a pad of paper. "Here it is. Just remember to bring it back to me once you've finished whatever it is you need with it."

Alex nodded, and took the pad from Jade, heading back to Kanonno's location. He then sat down with her, and opened the pad, Kanonno watching one with confusion.

"Um...what is it?" Kanonno asked.

Alex opened a page in the pad. "Here. While in the Ruins, I found some strange writing on the walls in an unknown language. When I read it, I found that I could read it as if it were English. It read:

(A/N: The next couple of lines are the same from the ones Alex read in Chapter 19. If you don't want to read them, then skip over the italic section.)

_And so, the Cherub of Death spoke unto the man,_

_'Behold, I present to thou these three devices to be_

_used if mankind hath lost all sense of valor._

_First, I grant thou this helm of death,_

_a helm to mantain thou mind from the power,_

_to be locked away in our beloved shrine._

_Next, I shall bestow upon thou this armor,_

_for resisting the power that shall be thous,_

_sealed into the hellish slag on the ends of the world._

_Finally, I shall grant thou these gauntlets,_

_which thou requires for controlling the great, _

_terrible power that shall be released from these_

_pieces three, this one held in the shrine_

_of where this power shall be used._

_These three shall be called the hellish end,_

_the white horseman, and the lord of hell._

_Remember, however, the power is_

_thous to be used, and only when_

_thou deem it necessary._

"The other reads..."

_And after this, the Cherub of the Soul spoke to the man,_

_'Behold, I present to thou these three devices to be_

_used if mankind believes they shall continue existing._

_First, I grant thou this shield of light,_

_it hath been used to guard the Soul itself,_

_so it shall be kept in the most sacred of temples._

_Next, I shall bestow upom thou this sword,_

_which shall ward off this other power and counter it,_

_and it shall be left in the icy depths to test humanity's will._

_Finally, I shall grant thou this beautiful jewel,_

_containing the power to bring out the full potential of a man,_

_which shall be kept with the helm of death in our shrine._

_These three shall be called the guard of the sky plains,_

_the battle of the gods, and the goddess of rebirth._

_Remember, however, that this power will only_

_be used when the other power is in play, and only_

_if humanity truly desires to live on._

Alex finished reading, and turned to Kanonno, who had a thoughtful look on her face. "It's not a perfect translation, but it should be good enough. I believe that these lines talk about the Descender artifacts, and gives clues to their location. I don't know Pasca nearly as well as you do, so I was hoping that you might have some sort of idea..."

Kanonno studied the lines carefully, examining each line as if it were its own separate paragraph. She studied it for about ten minutes, grabbing a pen out and underlining several sections, thinking over them. She kept writing down notes on a separate pad of paper, and let the gears in her mind start putting the pieces together. She grabbed out a map, and circled a few areas. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kanonno placed the pad down, taking a deep breath and rubbing her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"Kanonno? Did you figure it out?" Alex asked, a bit hopeful.

"Well...if my theories are correct, then yes. However, I could still be wrong. Anyway, let's start. The first paragrah that you mentioned talks about the Descender artifacts that Valvus is after, as I've seen one of them already. When we arrived at the Ruins of Jezid, Valvus showed me a pair of gauntlets that he said were laying inside the Ruins of Jezid. Now, look at the lines concerning gauntlets. It says that it will be kept in the place where the 'power' will be used. The 'power' most likely refers to the Eye of God, so that means that the gauntlets were originally at the Ruins of Jezid, just as Valvus said."

"Because of this, I believe that the other places mentioned are easy to figure out. First, there's the 'helm of death'. It says that it is locked away in 'our beloved shrine'. You told me earlier that the reason you thought that you could read the strange writing was because it was written in a Descender language. Well, if that's the case, then the writer must have been a Descender. Therefore, their 'beloved shrine' would probably be the Ruins of Hamarabi. Therefore, the helm must have been found there."

"Next, let's move on to the armor. It says that it's located in the 'hellish slag on the ends of the world'. There's only one place that I can think of that fulfills that criteria: Mount Hatmas. Located on Galvanas Island, it's the southmost point in the world. Originally, that area was a pure iceland, but something happened a thousand years ago that caused the iceland to disappear and the island to appear in its place. Mount Hatmas is the only volcano in all of Pasca, so I believe the 'hellish slag' is that. Currently, Valvus' archaeologist groups are working in that region."

"With those out of the way, let's move on the second paragraph. This talks about the Descender artifacts that we're looking for. The first one, the 'shield of light', is the shield you have right now, and you claim that you got it in the Hall of Descenders. That would explain the whole 'the most sacred of temples' bit at the end of the sentence."

"Now, for the most important parts. According to this, the next Descender artifact is a sword that resides in the 'icy depths to test humanity's will'. Like before, there's one other place I can think of where it can be: Retzam Icecap. The icecap is located to the far north of here, past the Icelands, and is perhaps impossible to cross without a mage with fire magic. An archaeologic team has also been dispatched to that area, but I heard that something had recently happened to them, though I don't know what."

"Finally, we have the 'beautiful jewel' that is the focus of the final part. The last line of it says that it's located in the same place as the 'helm of death'. That means that the jewel should also have been in the Ruins of Hamarabi. From what I read in here, there were two pedestals in the hidden room, and both were empty. This means that the jewel was taken away as well. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it is." Kanonno explained, taking a deep breath as she finished.

Alex stared at her, impressed. "Wow...amazing. You deciphered all of that in ten minutes! I'm impressed."

Kanonno nodded, yawning loudly. "Yeah...but can we talk about the rest another time? I'm sleepy..."

"Of course. I think I'll head to sleep myself. Goodnight, Kanonno." Alex replied, smiling as he got off where he was sitting.

"Goodnight, Alex." Kanonno replied, headed for her tent... 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 _The next afternoon..._

Alex was riding in the Creitz Pass, covering his eyes as snow fell towards him from clouds less than 100 feet above him, the mist today intense. He was currently riding with the rest of his unit in the Creitz Pass, everyone on alert as they glanced at the mountain pass, watching for enemy archers, as they were very close to the tunnel. Alex had one of his hands on his sword, though he knew it would do no good in a battle like this. Likewise, Alex saw Kanonno preparing her self, though she was a different case, as she had both wind and fire spells.

Kratos was watching around him like a hawk, observing every angle. Colette was also watching carefully, to everyone's confusion, as she seemed the least likely to do so. Chester had his bow ready to go at any time, and had an arrow ready on his bow. All of the mages were also on high alert, prepared to cast when the archers decided to come out.

Suddenly, Kratos jerked his head up, turning towards the others. "...The enemy is approximately 200 meters ahead of us."

As soon as Kratos finished his sentence, the whole unit grew tense, everyone ready to fire in any direction possible, while Kratos merely turned to the other generals, who nodded, readying their troops, as Kratos continued to speak quietly. "Calm down. As long as we stick to the plan, we should be alright. Get ready to cast lightning spells on the..."

Before Kratos could finish the sentence, everyone gasped as hundreds of arrows appeared out of nowhere, striking and killing many soldiers, though the Ad Libitum members managed to avoid injury. Kratos cursed, and starting ordering soldiers around left and right, many mages prepping their lightning spells, though more arrows appeared and struck several of them down. An arrow came headed towards Alex's back, but before it could hit, Reid quickly rode by and knocked the arrow away.

At this time, the mages finished their spells, and cast lightning spells high up into the air. As soon as they did, the rate of arrows slowed down a bit, though several of them kept firing at the soldiers, killing several. The archer team took the chance, and started firing up at the mountains at the direction they saw the arrows come from, and they heard screams coming from the mountains, indicating that they had hit.

The mages then began casting, half of them casting wind spells, the other half casting fire spells. Kanonno also began casting, and Alex rode over to her, and when he reached her, he felt Kanonno's mana shield protecting her entire body. Over at the other end, Chester fired an arrow up, and after he had hit his target, he got an idea. He looked over to Arche, and made some hand symbols to her. She studied him, and nodded after a few seconds, and began casting. More arrows began firing after a few seconds.

Finally, the mages released their spells, mainly ones like Cyclone and Fireball. As soon as those spells were launched, the mist cleared and screams ran out in the air as hundreds of enemy archers were set aflame, rolling around to try and douse the flames, some of them accidentally rolling of the cliffsides to their deaths, more screaming running out. Arche was still casting, and used Cyclone directly above Chester. At that moment, Chester used Wild Rain, launching about nine arrows into the air. They got launched into the Cyclone, separating the arrows and splitting them in nine different areas, striking down seven archers.

The rest of the unit then began to run towards the tunnels, avoiding the hundreds of arrows fired towards them, though several of them got struck down. Alex noticed a dead soldier nearby him, and glanced to his left, only to see several arrows headed towards him. He thrust his sword in the dead body, and brought it up with all of his strength, the body taking the arrows for him. He threw the body aside, and saw Kanonno casting Burn Strike in the direction the arrows had come from, killing several more archers.

Riding faster, Alex glanced around and saw another huge volley of arrows being launched, as more of the unit was killed off. Seconds later, the unit gasped as they saw that the tunnel was right ahead of them. As if on cue, hundreds of enemy reinforcements suddenly appeared, firing off more arrows into the unit. Jade glanced up, and rode over to Genis, whispering something in his ears. Genis looked shocked, but he nodded, and rode to Arche, whispering to her. A shocked look filled her face, as did Tear when Jade talked to her.

"Everyone, get into the tunnel! We'll deal with this!" Jade exclaimed, pushing his glasses up. Everyone then glanced at him in confusion, but they all headed into the tunnel, arrows killing several more of them. At the front of the tunnel stood Jade, Genis, Arche, and Tear. Tear was singing something, and the other three were all casting a spell. While their poses were different, they were all chanting the same thing:

_"I, who stands in the light of the heavens commands thee, who opens the gates of hell, come forth, divine lightning! This ends now!_

At that second, Tear finished singing, and used Force Field on the four of them, shielding them.

_INDIGNATION!"_

The results were catastrophic. The three lightning spells gathered above the valley, as clouds gathered with booming thunder. Suddenly, all three Indignation spells merged into one, and created a terrible explosion of lightning. The lightning spread through the entire pass, and thousands of screams were heard as the archers were all literally vaporized by the intense lightning. The mountains crumbled slightly as they were torn asunder and shaken by the defeaning boom of thunder. At that moment, a huge avalanche broke out, threatening to engulf the entire valley. Immediately, the four broke out in a run, and got inside the tunnel, just in time to avoid being crushed. As they walked through, they were greeted by shocked stares from the survivors of the unit, Alex included.

_Holy...HOLY SHIT! That...that spell...it was incredible! And yet...it was so terrifying. I can see why they've never used it before...and why it must never be used again. Such a spell could kill as many allies as it could enemies! It's a power so terrible that if used, it could kill everyone in this world! I just hope that all of them realize this..._

With that thought, Alex turned around, watching as the other generals checked the wounded soldiers, preparing to set up camp for the time until they were ready to head out through the tunnel to the Icelands... 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 **So, how was it? I'm SO sorry that this was late, but I had a two week camp class and a friend who's been over for a week, so I've been slow writing this. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up faster! Please Read and Review!**


	33. Chapter 32: Value of Friends

**Hi! Final Poke Mario Fan is here, and he's come to give all of you the latest chapter! Here you go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 32: Value of Friends

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_Creitz Pass Tunnel, five hours after the battle of the Creitz Pass..._

Alex was walking around the cavern campground, helping out with the generals as they were distributing dinner. The caves were very dark, as there was no source of light in the cave, the exit blocked by the snow from the combined Indignation attack. The caves themselves were very generic, as they were made up mainly of typical stone walls covered in ice, stalagmites and stalagcites frozen from the cold temperatures. There was a small frozen lake inside the caves, which had been melted off by the mages in order to get water for everyone.

Sighing, Alex then went over to one of the campfires, where he saw Kanonno currently having a conversation with Rutee and Nanaly. Deciding they needed some time to catch up, Alex decided to leave her with them, headed for another fire, where he saw Genis sitting down quiety, finishing cooking his food, a somewhat depressed look on his face. Alex decided to sit with him, and walked over, sitting down next to him.

Genis looked up from his cooking, surprised to see Alex. "Oh...hi there, General Terresca!"

"Genis, you don't have to call me that. Just call me Alex, like you always have. If anything, _I _should be the one calling you Lieutenant Sage. You're my senior, remember?" Alex replied, a small smile on his face.

Genis laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Man, things sure have changed a lot since then. For better _and_ for worse."

Alex nodded. "Can't argue with that. Say, Genis...are you really alright with all of this?"

"Hmm? Alright with what?" Genis asked, taking a bite of his food.

"...Alright with participating in this war. I know you told me not to look at you as a kid, but...you're 13 years old. Even if there's only a four years age difference between us, you still started this war out at 12 years old. This war...this war is horrible. Too many have already died from it. And many more will die from it. You're the youngest one in our group. You still are young. Everytime I see you on the battlefield, I fear that you'll be left with more scars from this war than the rest of us." Alex grimly explained, also taking a bite of his food.

Genis initially looked a bit angry, but he calmed downed a bit. "I know what you're saying, Alex. I hate this war. I hate seeing people die from it. Both us, and our enemies. However, you still shouldn't look down at me because I'm a kid. I'm just as devoted to protect Terresia as much as everyone else. It's as much as my world as it is the others. I've vowed to fight until Terresia is completely safe. I won't stop fighting because of what you say, or what anyone else says! Until the war ends or...I die, I will fight!"

Alex nodded. "I see. I respect your decision, Genis. But...what's wrong? You didn't look to happy when I first saw you a few minutes ago. Is something wrong?"

Genis darkened. "You can see, huh? I was thinking about what I did today, along with Arche and Jade. That combined Indignation we pulled off today...I never imagined how much power it would have had. It was so horrifying...I watched it all. Those mountains crumbled away so easily...the archers disappeared so easily. A spell like that could wipe out an entire village with no problem whatsoever! Knowing that I did all of that...it horrified me. I'm so scared right now. I could kill so many people with one shot easily!"

Alex lowered his head upon hearing that. "It seems that you and I are the same. I was worrying about today too. I wanted to make sure you, Jade, and Arche would realize that you should never use that technique ever again. I was more worried about Jade, as I felt he might consider using it in emergency situations. As for you...don't worry about it. You can only use that technique with others, so it's not you that's doing it. Besides...if it weren't for that, we would have lost more people than them. Remember that we are soldiers, not murderers. I have faith in you, Genis. You know right from wrong, and you would never use the technique ever. You're a good person, Genis. Remember that."

Genis stared back at Alex, a surprised and grateful look on his face. "Alex...thank you. I feel a lot better now. You know...I think this is the first time we've really had a real conversation of any sorts. We were in Ad Libitum together, but we never really talked too much. You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah...you're right! We only really talked once, and that was when we met! I would be interested in talking with you right now. You, Genis?" Alex asked, smiling as he talked.

Genis nodded, smiling too. "Yeah!"

_And so, Genis and Alex talked for hours, sitting around the fire and staying well past dinner, talking about the war, their hobbies, and their lives, both of them being able to relax themselves from the situation they were in, forming a new bond in the process. Neither of them noticed Kanonno watching them from her tent, smiling while doing so. However, she couldn't help but notice that a few minutes after Genis had left for his tent, Alex remained sitting there, a frown on his face..._

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_Scollance Castle, next morning..._

Siltran was standing in a training hall in the castle, watching as his officers sparred with each other. Most of them were using swords and spears, typical weapons for the Pascan military. However, one officer intrigued him. Instead of the traditional weapon types, he was dual-wielding two hatchets, sparring with a sword dual-wielder. Siltran watched in intrigue as he fluidly blocked all of his sparring partner's blows, swiftly counterattacking less than a second after he deflected the attacks.

The dual-sword wielder swung again, and the hatchet wielder managed to catch both swords on the curve of his hatchets, esentially stopping the swords. The soldier then kicked his partner down, pointing his hatchets at his neck. His partner then nodded and admitted defeat. The hatchet wielder then pulled him up and shaked his hands, offering words of encouragement.

Siltran looked at the hatchet wielder in amazement, impressed by his skills. _Whoa...this soldier here has potential. He shows good movement with his hatchets, he's got incredible speed, he knows precisely when to counter, and he's intelligent enough to think ahead and analyze his enemies' weaknesses in a short amount of time. He also shows good personality...he provided some tips and encouragement to his partner after his defeat. Yes...I think I'll observe him for a few more days, and if he shows good progress, I'll make him my personal lieutenant._

Siltran then grabbed out a bell, ringing it as his officers stopped fighting and brought their attention to him, saluting. "All right officers, the training's over for this morning! You may all be on leave for the next three hours! At ease!"

"Yes sir!" The officers replied, saluting once more. Siltran then watched as they all filed out of the room, conversations striking up between friends as they headed off for the mess hall, hoping to get some breakfast. The dual hatchet wielder then quickly placed both of his hatchets on his belt, turned so that they would hurt no one, and then headed towards the exit. Noticing he was the last one leaving, Siltran decided to go forward, approaching him.

Before speaking to him, Siltran quickly took in his features. The hatchet wielder looked pretty young, probably in his mid twenties. He had short blonde hair cut in a military style, and had dark brown eyes. He was wearing blue armor made of mythril, and was wearing high leather boots. After finishing his examination, Siltran then cleared his throat, headed towards the hatchet wielder.

"Wait one minute, officer." Siltran said, calling out to the hatchet wielder as he passed by.

The hatchet wielder nearly jumped up in surprise, and turned to face Siltran, nervousness on his face, saluting quickly. "Y...Yes, General Deios?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I am pleased with your skills and that you are showing some incredible skill. I would be interested to see you keep developing your skills. If I may ask, what is your name and rank, officer?" Siltran asked, smiling at the officer.

"My...my name?! Er, um...right! My name Anzam Saitona, sir! I'm a Sergeant under Colonel Vadken!" The hatchet wielder replied in shock.

Siltran nodded. "I see. Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. If you keep up this amount of skill...you may be seeing some rewards in the future. If possible, I would like to dine with you in private tonight. Meet me in my office at 6:30 tonight. At ease, Sergeant Saitona."

"Yes, sir!" Anzam replied, saluting again. He kept a straight face on as he saluted, but when he headed for the door, Siltran caught an expression on him that was a mixture of shock and glee. Siltran smiled to himself as he saw this, remembering a long time ago, when he was like that. Shaking his head for a second, Siltran gathered his things, and headed for the door, on the way back to his room...

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_Creitz Pass Tunnel, midday..._

The UFTW unit was traveling through the cavern, heading down a straight pathway that merchants often used on their trips between the mountains. Alex looked around in amazement at the cavern, filled with waterfalls that still flowed despite the cold winter, and he gazed at the icicles growing on the roof with an impressed look. Many of the others were also impressed, though nowhere near as Alex. Kanonno giggled when she saw Alex's amazement at the cavern, knowing he had never been in a cavern before.

"Kanonno, I have a question. Why are there trade routes between the Creitz Pass and the Northern Icelands? Do the Northern Icelands contain anything of value to the rest of Pasca?" Raine asked.

"Oh, that. Well, you see, while the Northern Icelands are the coldest region of Pasca, they are incredibly rich in minerals. Scollance is mainly known around Pasca for being the world's biggest source of jewels, and the Northern Icelands contain mines with some of the rarest jewels in Pasca. For instance, many diamonds are found in these mines, as well as rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Basically, more than 70 percent of the jewels used in jewelery in Pasca are found in this region." Kanonno explained.

Rutee's eyes widened at hearing all of this. "Did...did you say _jewels_?! Well then, it looks like we'll be having to make a little 'side trip' while we're here, won't we?"

Alex sighed, feeling irritated. "Rutee, don't even think about it. This is war! We have more important things to worry about than that!"

"..." Everyone grew silent at this, staring at Alex in surprise.

"...I'm sorry. I don't know why I even said that. It just...burst out of me for some reason." Alex replied, lowering his head in shame.

Kanonno stared at Alex in worry. _Alex...he's never acted like this before. Is something bothering him?_

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_That evening..._

Siltran was sitting up in his room, looking at a clock at the wall, which read 6:25. Only five more minutes to go. Siltran sighed, and took a deep breath, thinking about Anzam. Suddenly, he gasped and started coughing, a sharp pain coming from his lungs. Siltran fell to the floor, and continued coughing, some wheezes coming out of his mouth. Quickly, he headed over towards his nightstand and opened its drawer, pulling out the bottle of pills he had, labeled **RIDUTTORE ELIO**. He opened the bottle with haste, and took a pill, swallowing it in an instant. He lay beside his nighstand, panting and wheezing until the pain subsided.

_Damn...damn it. This happens...every day. I thought after being here for over twenty one years, my body might have adapted slightly, but it seems that not even I can stand to live here without this happening to me. It's ironic, really, that the only thing keeping me here is these pills, created by a man I dislike. Despite that, even I know when to be grateful...while I may hate the situation _they_ are in right now, at least they're alive, and that's all that matters to me. No matter how much pain I have to go through, I will not leave. I must stay with Master Valvus until Assimilation is complete._

Suddenly, there was a knock at Siltran's door, undoubtably Anzam. Siltran then took one more deep breath, and stood up, placing the pills back in the drawer of his nightstand, and headed for the door. He opened it, seeing Anzam standing there, still wearing his military uniform, saluting awkwardly as he stood in the doorway. Siltran saluted back to him.

"At ease, Sergeant. If you would, come this way." Siltran announced, Anzam merely nodding in reply, still nervous. He managed to utter out a reply of "yes, sir" before walking into the room anxiously, taking a look around. Siltran motioned him over to a table near the edge of the room, where two plates sat in front of chairs opposite of each other, food covering the rest of the table. Siltran sat down on one end, while Anzam shakingly sat down in the other chair, still nervous. Siltran finally gave out a huge sigh, sitting at the table.

"Sergeant, you are free to take anything you want from the table. Please, eat up." Siltran said, startling Anzam a little bit. Nodding slowly, Anzam proceeded to take some steak off one of the plates and proceeded to start cutting it, eating slowly. He stared at Siltran quietly, until he opened his mout after what seemed like forever.

"Err...General Deios, um, sir, er..." Anzam began.

Siltran shook his head. "Sergeant, talk to me like you would one of my friends. There's no need for formality."

Anzam paused a second, before finally nodding. "All right then. General Deios, why did you call me up to dinner with you? I know that you complimented my skills this morning, but I don't understand how that merits you sending me up here for dinner. Forgive me for speaking a little...rudely, but what exactly are you planning to do with me?"

Siltran took a bite of his steak, having expected that question. "...Unfortunately, I can't exactly tell you what I'm planning with you. If I tell you, you might jump to conclusions and take things a little...differently, I'd put it. But as for why I called you here, I can answer that. The reason I called you was so that you could tell me more about yourself. About what kind of person you are, why you joined the army, and what your plans for the future are. I'm sorry for forcing it out on you, but I must know if you will fit in what I'm planning for you."

"...I see. Well then, I guess I can answer your questions. As for starters, I was born and raised in the town of Calamos. I had a pretty normal life there, and I grew up with my parents and my younger brother, Madak. I did some work at the time as a lumberjack of sorts, going out to a nearby forest and cutting down trees to warm everyone- Calamos didn't exactly have the warmest environment. That's how I got around to using axes as weapons. Eventually, I finished my education, and I left the town as an apprentice blacksmith, deciding to study in the city of Yazak."

"One day, while working in Yazak, I got the news that Calamos had been destroyed and that my family had been killed. I was shocked to the core at the time, and immediately returned to Calamos to oversee the burial of the town. Eventually, I got over my grief and returned to Yazak. However, on Ecclesia 27th, 1596, I was murdered along with the rest of the city by the Pascan Descender...Kanonno was her name, I believe. She was the one that murdered my parents and brother. I can still remember her face right before she killed me...emotionless, yet vicious."

"After that, I was dead, along with the rest of Pasca. When we all were resurrected that day, I stayed in Yazak for a few days, then I joined the liberation army as they took over the castle. I joined the military then, and I've been with them ever since." Anzam grimly explained.

Siltran nodded. "Hmm...tell me, why _did _you join the military?"

"The military? I don't care about anything like ranking or adventure or pride like many of the other young recruits do. I'm just here for one thing and one thing only. I want to find the Pascan Descender...and kill her. I want to gain revenge for my family's death and my own by killing the women who ruined my life. I don't care if I die doing it, all that matters is that I will see the sight of the Pascan Descender dying by my hand. If I can accomplish that one goal, then my life will have fulfilled its purpose."

"Once I've completed my goal, I will retire from military service and return to my own craft. I will search out my master and hope that I can make journeyman rank soon so I can open my own buisiness. I will continue working as a blacksmith then until the day I die. Well, that pretty much sums me up, General Deios. Is that what you wanted to hear from me?" Anzam asked, finishing up.

"Yes." Siltran replied. _This is...this is better then I expected! Not only is he good with weaponry, he has a strong grudge against Kanonno, which will make him even more willing to serve under me. Plus, as a blacksmith, he'll have a good knowledge with multiple weapons, and if he's versitile enough, he should master the styles I have planned for him! Alright, I've made my decision._

Siltran paused for a second, before taking a deep breath. "Very well then. Anzam, you have fit all the qualities I am looking for. I find myself drawn to who you are and your skills. Therefore...I have decided to make you an offer that I think you'll like. Sergeant Anzam Saitona...will you become my apprentice and my personal lieutenant?"

Needless to say, Anzam was shocked, nearly falling out of his seat before stablizing himself. "Wh...WHAT?!"

Siltran nodded. "I'm serious. Let me tell you something here that only few know. The Pascan Descender is fighting in this very war on the side of the UFTW. She needs to be stopped before she can stop our plans and defeat our army. We need someone who is willing to fight her no matter what, even if it means death. Regarding other reasons, you seem to be very good with dual-wielding those hatchets. I wish to train you to expand your horizons beyond that. As a blacksmith, I think you will catch up quickly. Will you accept?"

"...Yes. Yes I will. Like I said earlier, the rank doesn't matter. If it's all about hunting down and killing the Pascan Descender, then I'll gladly become your personal lieutenant. I want to learn your skills and use them in battle, General Deios. I've see your practice sessions with your skills, and I want to learn how to use it to a great extent. I accept your offer, sir." Anzam replied, a slight smile on his face.

Siltran smiled back, shaking Anzam's hand. "Glad to hear it. Welcome...Lieutenant Saitona. We will train tommorow. For now, let us just enjoy the rest of the meal. I look forward to working with you..."

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_Next morning, end of the Tunnel..._

The unit was finally at the end of the tunnel, having finally made it through after a day of uneventful travel. While everything was going fine so far, the Ad Libitum members were feeling a bit uneasy after Alex's random outburst the day before. He hadn't spoken a word since, and that night at dinner, he hadn't said a single word, not even to Kanonno. To add on to their worries, Alex clearly had barely slept that night, bags under his bloodshot eyes, his stomach growling. Kanonno looked at him with concern, but said nothing.

"Say, Kanonno, is there a town outside the tunnel?" Senel asked.

Kanonno nodded. "Yeah. It's called Frean City. It's the largest city in the Northern Icelands. Half of the Northern Iceland's population lives there, and it's the trading center of the area. The people there are dependent on trading...because the entire land is a wasteland, no food ever grows there, so they need the food that comes from Southern Scollance."

Senel nodded, understanding. "Then there will definately be enemies there."

"With no doubt." Kanonno simply replied, sighing.

"Let's try to forget that for now. So Kanonno, is there any other cities that are really important here?" Raine asked.

"Yes. There's this other big city called Henos in the northwestern region of the Northern Icelands. While its mostly just your average city, it is one of the major weapon producing cities. Of course, the reason for this is because of the world mana plant located there." Kanonno replied.

Raine looked at her, confused. "'World man plant'?"

"The world mana plant was a unique structure created by Valvus after his coup d'etat. When Valvus and his three generals had been going from world to world stealing mana, Valvus had used his warp powers to transfer the mana from one world to Pasca into the structure called world mana plants. The mana there was used to speed up the production of weapons that Valvus needed. There were originally twelve mana plants, but during the second year of Valvus' reign, a group known as the Meteor Strike discovered this, and destroyed eleven of them. Valvus sent Tribilin's unit out to hunt them down, and...let's just say...they were not given a quick death."

Raine's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Really!? So you're saying that the mana from one world is being transferred to this world even as we speak?"

Kanonno lowered her head. "Yeah...at least, we _thought _it was mana. We're not really sure, but the substance from that world is very similar to mana. I heard about it from residents of that world...they called it...um...'air', or something like that. I don't think they were referring to the sky at all, but whatever it was, the substance was a lot like mana, so we took it anyway. We then discovered a process in which this 'air' could be converted into mana, so we used that to make the mana from 'air'."

Kratos looked down at a map he was holding, then held his hand up, everyone stopping. "Now that we've gathered here, I'd like to discuss the plan for our next battle. As Kanonno just mentioned, directly outside of the cavern is Frean City. Based on Kanonno's information, the town is well guarded and should be heavily defended. Because of this, we'll need heavy force to defeat the enemy. However, because of the importance of the city to the region, we must ensure not to damage the city."

"Therefore, we have developed a plan in order to take over the town. We'll have the mages focus their magic on the stone walls on the outside, using heavy amounts of water based spells, then following up with fire and wind magic. If the plan works, the stone walls should weaken up a little bit from the water, then the wind and fire should be enough to cause the stones to fall over. However, this is only a diversionary tactic to trick the enemy into thinking how we'll enter the city. While the mages are working on that, the first wave of ground soldiers will charge towards the gate. The first wave of archers will follow on horseback, and launch fire arrows at the gate."

"When the gate is set on fire, the enemy soldiers will be occupied in trying to put the fire out while we keep charging and launching arrows at the gate. By the time the first wave arrives at the gate, it should be so weak that they will have no trouble breaking it down. You probably won't even need to use a battering ram. Once the first wave has accomplished their goal, the second wave will file into the city. The cavalry will join them as backup, and push the enemy back. Once the gate's been secured, the third wave will rush in and finish off the enemy. That's all. When we reach the cave exit, we will take a three hour break to prepare."

The soldiers all saluted in reply, and after a few seconds, continued walking. Alex looked down towards the ground, and merely sighed. He shook his head a second, later, and kept moving. Kanonno stared at Alex for a few seconds, then followed after him, grabbing his hand. Alex snapped out of his trance, and looked up at Kanonno.

"Alex, listen to me. I don't know what's up with you, but I _will _have a talk with you about it during our break. Got it?" Kanonno said, her voice edging between concern and frustration.

Alex glanced around before speaking back to her. "F...fine."

Kanonno nodded back in reply, and headed off towards the other Ad Libitum members, leaving Alex alone. He lowered his head and looked at his hand for a couple of seconds. He proceeded to hit the cave wall with his hand, causing some soldiers to look at him with confusion.

_Damn it..._

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_Unknown town, Northern Icelands..._

Darius was standing in an empty plain outside of a large town behind him. He had his arm stretched out, and was moving his fingers rapidly, staring at something in front of him and concentrating heavily with his mind. He quickly swerved his arms, and the sound of an explosion rang out. Satisfied, he relaxed his mind, and lowered his arms, taking a deep breath. He then turned to his right, where a blue-light viewer with Valvus' face lay floating. Valvus was currently lying down in a bed back in Lavard, bandages wrapped around his body.

"So, General Darius, what do you think of the MPS?" Valvus asked.

Darius gave a nod of approval. "In one word, it's simply magnificent. The linkup worked much better than I thought it would, and its control functions are very easy. The additional accessories work really well, and its easy to swap between them with the linkup. Also, the separation took only five seconds- I was expecting something like ten. The movement was also very swift, even before the separation. Most importantly, the problem of the first one has been completely eliminated. All in all, I'd have to say that the MPS is near perfect. I'm glad the engineers designed it exactly the way I wanted it to."

Valvus smiled back. "Glad to hear it. After all, it did take about four months to make, so it would have been a real waste of money if it was defective or didn't work at all. Have you gathered the intelligence from Inost about Tribilin that I requested?"

"Yes, sir. Apparently, from what I learned, most of the residents who know about what happened are still sympathetic to what happened to him. They're all naive to what Tribilin is really like...though given the circumstances about what happened, we can't really blame them for not knowing- though you're one of the few who knows the truth. However, there was one person who knew his full story...apparently, he was the nephew of Nocen, and his name is Danvos Giza. He has no grudge against Tribilin for what happened. In fact, its quite the opposite. He virtually idolizes Tribilin for what he did, despite knowing what he is- I investigated a bit and found out that Giza was treated by Nocen the same way he treated Tribilin."

"When I told him about Tribilin's current status, he seemed to be absolutely delighted. He told me that he was eternally grateful to Tribilin for what he did with Nocen, and then he pratically begged to let me go join the military to work directly for Tribilin. I told him that I consider it, then left him. I want to know your opinion, Master Valvus. It's...it's rather rare to come across someone who actually _idolizes_ Tribilin. While I personally don't like Tribilin, his skills are simply top-notch. If he had his own apprentice, it would benefit us. What do you think?" Darius explained.

Valvus looked up with a surprised look on his face. "A fan of Tribilin, huh? Well...that certainly is interesting. It would actually prove to be very good timing, because as we learned last night, Siltran also took up an apprentice. With this, it's almost as if I have five confidents instead of three. That Anzam person won't really care about our motives as long as he gets to kill Kanonno. And Danvos sounds so obsessed with working with Tribilin that he probably won't care for our motives either. If he doesn't like it, we'll simply dispose of him. Very well. Tell Danvos he may join, and send him down to meet up with you."

Darius bowed. "Understood, Master Valvus. I'll contact Danvos through a blue-light viewer, and hope that he gets here in time. Our scouts have spotted the UFTW moving through the Creitz Pass, and when I checked out the region this morning, I found that the entire pass had been blocked by snow, and that parts of the mountains looked damaged."

"Really. Then there's no doubt that the UFTW must have broken their way in. They'll probably reach Frean either today or the day after. In that case, we'll need to speed up the process before they arrive. I have new orders for you, General Darius. I need you to use your blue-light viewers to contact the generals of both Frean and Inost. Tell them to each send 10,000 soldiers each to Henos, and that it needs to be done within two hours." Valvus explained.

Darius was caught off-guard, wearing a shocked look. "Two hours? Master Valvus, are you sure about that? That doesn't sound like nearly enough time to get 10,000 ready on such short notice!"

Valvus nodded. "I know that. However, if you really saw the Creitz Pass caved in, then the UFTW should be there very soon. To me, Henos holds more value than either Frean or Inost, as its the one that contains the last remaining world mana plant. While we don't really need it, the rate of weapons coming out of the city are astounding, so I don't want to lose a good thing."

"That's true. The mana converted from the 'air' that it produces has been very useful in powering our weapon factories. Very well, then. I will contact the two right now, and inform them of your decision, Master Valvus." Darius replied, bowing.

"Good. While we're on the topic of your blue-light viewers, I have a question. Have you been able to find Kanonno through the blue-light viewer?" Valvus asked.

Darius' head lowered. "No...nothing. I keep trying, but every time I try it, all I get is some sort of...static, I'd describe it. I think it's because she's with the Terresian Descender, and their combined Descender powers are strong enough to block the blue-light viewers from seeing them. They're not doing it voluntary, and it never happened when they were alone...it's the only explanation I can think of."

""Hmm...I would have to agree. After all, the blue-light viewer is merely an altered power, so it's weaker than the original form. Besides...I'm only a half, unlike them, so mine was weaker than theirs. It's only natural that theirs can cancel it out together. This conversation is now over, Darius. Please disconnect the blue-light viewer" Valvus replied.

"Very well. Farewell, Master Valvus." Darius replied, the blue-light viewer fading before him...

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_Exit of the cavern, an hour later..._

Alex was sitting down on the ground, leaning against the cave wall. He stared at the stalacites that covered the ceiling of the cavern, frozen over from the wintertime. He then turned his attention to his sword, inspecting it to check for any faults he could find in it. Finding nothing very serious, he sighed and took out a sharpening stone. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approach him, and he looked up, seeing Kanonno approaching him. He then turned his head, trying to ignore her as she got closer to him.

Kanonno stood right in front of Alex, and when he didn't reply, she kicked the wall nearby him, impatient. "Alex. We agreed we'd have a talk right now, didn't we? Then tell me: what's bugging you? Ever since yesterday morning, you've been ignoring us, and you even blew up on Rutee for no reason! It's like you're a different person!"

"...It doesn't concern you." Alex merely replied, still averting his gaze.

"Like hell it doesn't! Alex, you're my friend! Friends are supposed to help each other in times like this! If you're really having problems, then you should be able to tell me about them!" Kanonno angrily exclaimed.

"...Heh. How ironic. Alright then, Kanonno, I'll tell you, since you're also a Descender. The thing that's been bugging me these past two days...are the rest of the Ad Libitum members." Alex answered, his voice somewhat sardonic.

Kanonno merely stared at him blankly, unsure if she heard Alex correctly. "What?"

Alex nodded to himself. "Yes, the other Ad Libitum members. You see, the night we entered this cavern, I spent a few hours talking to Genis. After he had left, I suddenly realized that I had been talking with him for far too long. I shouldn't have gotten so open with him. Therefore...I decided that I should probably only talk to the other Ad Libitum members when necessary. I shouldn't have made friends with them in the first place."

He looked up at Kanonno's face, expecting her to understand. However, instead, he saw that her face was contorted with incredible anger, a side of Kanonno he had never seen before.

"Alex, how the _hell _could you say that!? How could you even dare to say that! They've been our only friends in these worlds! They've done absolutely nothing wrong! They've been incredibly friendly, and they were the ones who made us feel like there was something worth fighting for! What reason could you possibly have for wanting to reject them!" Kanonno furiously replied.

Alex looked up at Kanonno, shocked. "Well...you should understand, right, Kanonno? We're Descenders. We're all destined to fight for our worlds, and then die afterwords. If I try to keep them as my friends, they'll just suffer grief when we disappear for good. If that's the case, then we shouldn't bother making friends so that they're spared the grief. If...if there's anything that I really hate...it's the feeling of loneliness. However...if it means that it ensures everyone else won't grieve, its a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Surely, you understand now why I wish I'd never made friends with..."

WHACK!

Kanonno had slapped Alex right across the face, a red mark beginning to fade in. Everyone in the camp turned to the wall as they heard the loud crack-like sound, surprised. The Ad Libitum members came rushing over, assuming some sort of fight had broken out between the two. Alex merely sat there stunned, placing his had on his cheek. Kanonno then picked Alex up and forced him to go into a more private part of the cave.

"You damn idiot! What the hell are you thinking! It's _because_ our lives are so short that having friends feels great! I know my time is limited too, but I spend time with my friends all of the time so that I get to experience life as much as possible! To feel like that there's a meaning to my own life besides protecting my world! The feeling of just...being happy! Sure, my friends will grieve when I'm gone, but they're strong As for you, Alex...I'd never thought I'd ever say this, but...you're a coward!"

"A...coward?" Alex said, staring forward.

Kanonno nodded. "Yes! A coward! You're scared, Alex. Scared of disappearing again.You think that if you make friends and disappear, it will cause much grief. You're probably right. However, you avoid them constantly by running away from reality and shutting yourself up! That's no good! Running away, it never solves anything. You're just delaying the inevitable. Let me ask you this, Alex: what will you do? You could either continue to run away from your friends and be lonely for the rest of your life, or embrace your friendships and be happy for the rest of your life. I'll leave the decision to you, Alex."

With that, Kanonno took a deep breath and turned around, heading back with the rest of the Ad Libitum members. Alex still sat where he was, his mind conflicted with everything he had believed at that point, and everything Kanonno had told him just now. He sighed, and placed a hand to his head...

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_Cave exit, three hours later..._

The unit was now outside of the cavern, overlooking Frean City. The city was just as Kanonno had described it, being one of the largest cities anyone had seen so far. There were several tall buildings that stood out from the city, most of them stone, but most of the city couldn't be seen from behind the massive stone walls, a wooden gate at the entrance, locked down in place. Several watch towers lay on the walls of the city, archers and mages posted at every station. Alex was in the front of the cavalry on Devatos, his head lowered.

Kratos took the lead, turning towards the rest of the unit. "Alright men, listen up. As I said earlier, the plan will start with the mage unit unleashing water and fire spells on the walls. While they're distracted, the first wave will rush in along with the archer unit and attack the gate. Once the gate's been broken down, the second wave and cavalry will rush in, and the third wave will run in to finish them off. Now that we're all ready...let the operation begin!"

The soldiers nodded in reply, and began. The mage unit all started casting water and fire spells, and after a few seconds, they laucned the spells towards the northeastern side of the stone wall. The guards at the wall noticed this, and when they saw the unit at the cave exit, they quickly ran and rang the bell for battle. Taking this as their cue, the first wave charged, along with archers on horseback. They lit their arrows, and began firing at the gate. Most of them missed, but a few hit, causing a small fire. Frantically, the Pascans' mages ran over to the wall, dousing the fire with water, but the gate had already gotten slightly charred.

In retaliation, the enemy archers took aim, and fired at the first wave. Several of them were hit, collapsing as they died, but many continued to charge, their weapons ready. The UFTW archers fired again, hitting the gate while the mages continued to attack the walls. The Pascans were in disseray at the moment, as they were unsure whether to defend the wall or the gate. The charge continued, and casualties on both sides kept increasing as the battle continued, neither side willing to give way...

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_Twenty minutes later..._

The first wave was at the gate by now, still trying to hack away at it. The gate was right now in very poor shape, the flaming arrows having done their job well as the first wave was slashing it down, pelted by arrows from the Pascans. The stone wall was doing better, but it was still damaged seriously, several blast marks all over it. The first wave charged with all of their strength, and slammed into the gate. The gate finally gave way, falling over and crashing to the ground, breaking into several pieces.

Kratos' head jerked as he saw this. "The gate has been destroyed! Second wave and cavalry, move out!"

The soldiers replied with a battlecry, and charged straight towards the city. Alex raised his sword, and started his charge, leading the cavalry. Inside, however, Alex was barely able to focus, his mind still conflicted, Kanonno's words echoing again and again. He swung his sword absentmindedly as arrows were fired, barely managing to dodge them. He entered the city, only to be greeted by several thousand Pascan soldiers at the gate. He charged forward, and swung weakly at one of the enemies. The enemy looked surprised at how weak the slash was, and slammed his sword hard in response.

Alex fell off Devatos from the attack, and shock filled his face as he finally snapped out of his mind. The soldier swung to kill him, but Leon ran by and quickly stabbed him in the stomach with his dagger, and through the chest with his sword. Leon looked over at Alex coldly.

"What are you doing, Alex!? You'll be killed at the rate you're fighting at! Hurry up and get back to fighting!" Leon exclaimed, pulling Alex up.

Alex stared at Leon for a second, then nodded. "R...right." _Damn it, now is not the time to be thinking about what Kanonno said! I've got to fight!_

Alex then got back up on Devatos and charged into the crowd of enemy soldiers. His frustrations surfacing again, Alex brought his sword up and slashed downwards, cutting through an enemy as he screamed, dying a very painful death. Alex continued charging, and sliced off the arm of an enemy, proceeding to impale him through the stomach. He left his dying enemy, and thrust his sword through a Pascan soldier's neck, leaving it there for two seconds before pulling it back. He then slashed another soldier up across the chest several times.

Tear watched all of this with confusion. _Something's not right. Alex's battle style is a lot more different today. Usually, he aims for the heart or tries to decapitate his enemies as soon as he sees them, probably to give them a quick death. But right now...he seems to be inflicting a lot of pain on them, and leaves them to die slowly. I don't think Alex would normally do that...something must be on his mind. But what?_

Yelling out in frustration, Alex raised his sword again, impaling the enemy through his arm. He quickly turned his sword and stabbed the Pascan through the heart, then threw him into the crowd. Another soldier tried to stab him, and he simply blocked the attack with his shield and threw it through the soldier's chest. He pulled the shield out and slashed off the enemy's head. Turning around, he headed towards another section of soldiers and swung wildly into the crowd , randomly hitting several soldiers.

He swung down hard again, slashing across a soldier's face, then thrust into their chest. He pulled it out and thrust again, then did this again, and again. Finally, he pulled the sword out, and slashed across a soldier's face, gouging his eyes out. The enemy screamed loudly in pain, and when Alex heard it, he broke out of his berserker-like state, taking deep breaths. He looked at the Pascan soldier in shock, and quickly decapitated him. He looked around the battlefield, and looked in horror as he saw all the soldiers he fought writhing on the ground in pain as they slowly died.

Screaming, Alex charged again, impaling a soldier through the heart. Suddenly, he grunted as he felt an arrow hit his arm. He pulled it out, and threw it towards Chester, who grabbed it and shot down the archer who had fired the arrow. Kanonno then charged into the city, and raised her sword high, slicing an enemy in half as she decapitated him. She swung the sword around in a circle, injuring others while she used Pollen Cyclone, blowing them away. She then thrust through an enemy's chest, then pulled back.

When Alex saw Kanonno, his mind started to wander again, but he quickly shook it off. He rode over towards Kanonno, dismounting Devatos and lending him to another rider. He ran over and slashed a soldier in his way, and gasped when he saw a Pascan soldier about to strike Kanonno down from her back. He quickly used Demon Fang. The soldier dodged it, but Kanonno finally noticed him and cleaved through his chest. Alex ran over, and noticed several more soldiers behind Kanonno. He ran over, and the two began to fight from each other's back.

"You know, this is kind of ironic, Kanonno!" Alex exclaimed, thrusting his sword through an enemy's heart.

"Huh? Why's that?" Kanonno asked, slicing down two soldiers.

"The last time we were fighting close to each other, we were fighting face-to face! This time, we're fighting back-to-back! Just thought it was kind of strange, that's all!" Alex replied, decapitated an enemy as he thrust his sword through another.

"Yeah, you're right! Then again, war is full of irony! These kinds of things happen often!" Kanonno answered, thrusting through another soldier with her sword.

"Well, true. Agh, why are we talking about this now?! We need to keep fighting!" Alex shouted, using Spreading Chaos to weaken a few Pascan soldiers.

"Right! Let's keep on fighting!" Kanonno exclaimed, slicing another soldier down.

The two continued fighting, slashing enemies down left to right. Suddenly, both of them felt their tension from battle reaching their climax. They released their Overlimits together, and suddenly, an idea passed their minds. Looking at each other, they nodded, and Alex began slashing enemies down. Kanonno closed her eyes for a second, and stretched her arm out. A green wind barrier suddenly formed around Alex, shielding him from the enemy. They nodded, and together, they formed a Fusonic Forces (A/N: Another name for Secret Justice) attack.

"CYCLONE!" Kanonno exclaimed. She cast Cyclone on Alex, sending him through the air. However, thanks to the wind barrier Kanonno had set up, he began absorbing the wind energy, his power rising.

Alex's sword glowed green, and it was now his turn. "RISING FALCON"

"_**WINGS OF THE WIND**_!"

Alex dove forward to perform Rising Falcon, but when he did so, two green wing-like object came out of his arms, formed by the wind energy. Alex dove forward into the crowd, and the wings started cutting anyone who touched them, the gale ripping them to shreds. Alex then turned around in midair, and dove down to another crowd of soldiers, killing many. He finally landed, and was shocked to see that he and Kanonno's combined attack had killed over fifty soldiers...

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_Five hours later..._

The battle had ended an hour ago. The second wave and the cavalry had managed to push the Pascans back, and the third wave had swept in and had finished off the Pascans, just as planned. The UFTW was currently finishing up their conquest of the city, while others were dealing with the wounded and the dead. Alex was currently helping direct the soldiers who were helping the wounded. Kanonno was also doing the same, watching as medics carried injured soldiers to the medical tents. The two of them stood next to each other in awkward silence.

"...Hey, Kanonno?" Alex said.

Kanonno looked over to him. "What is it, Alex?"

"During the battle, I...I gave some thought to what you said earlier. What you said to me...it's completely opposite of the views I've had for the past five months. I was thinking...and, well, I've decided what I should do. I still don't think remaining friends with them would be a good idea due to the grief they will suffer as a result. However...I've decided I'll open up to them, and talk to them normally. Maybe, just maybe, if I keep myself open to all of them, my mind will change. I don't think that's likely, though." Alex explained, lowering his head.

"...I see. Well, at least you're trying, and that's what counts. I...I hope that you can change...though I'll try to respect your feelings if you don't. After all, that's what friends are supposed to do." Kanonno replied.

Alex smiled back. "Thanks, Kanonno. Thanks for being my friend."

Kanonno also smiled. "You're welcome, Alex."

The two then continued their work, directing the wounded and the medics to the tents, the cold winter air blowing around them...

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**Hey! So how was it? First off, I must say that I'm REALLY sorry this chapter was late. My friend was over for a week, then I took a trip to Prince Edward Island for several days, and when I returned, I got Tales of Vesperia, so I was caught up playing it (by the way, it was a completely awesome game and if you don't have it, you should try to get it as soon as possible. However, after beating the game, it makes me wonder if Namco somehow hacked into my brain and took some of my ideas for this story into the game, as there were several parts of the game that were **_**very**_** similar to this story.)**

**On side notes, a crazy thought entered my head recently- I believe that this story would make a pretty good mecha story as well. I could easily convert everything so it was like a mecha anime, and the characters could fit the roles perfectly. Who knows, maybe I'll write an omake about that one day. Give me your opinion if you think I should!**

**Next, I've learned that Kanonno will be returning in the real Radiant Mythology 2, and is supposingly playable. Like the existence of the game itself, this is both good and bad news for me- the good news is that I'm happy she'll be back and playable, the bad news is that her being in the second game means the two are connected, therefore killing any chance of this story being the slightest bit canon (and yes, I know- fanfics are never canon, but you **_**wish**_** it was.). Oh well.**

**Following that, on a lower side note, I regret to say that the idea that I had for a **_**Tales of **_**game that I wanted to make has been shot down, as Tales of Vesperia also had close plot points to what I had in mind for this game. But on the plus side, I still have another nine years or so to think of a different plot, so that's ok. I'm still disappointed, though.**

**Finally, here's another voice actor change. (Yes, I know what you're thinking-this story has no voice acting whatsoever and I shouldn't even bother changing these up...but it helps me write the characters better, believe it or not.)**

**Darius- Seiyuu change from Koichi Yamadera to Shinichiro Miki.**

**Nomvar- Voice actor change from Johnny Yong Bosch to Steve Staley**

**Also, here's Anzam's data:**

**Anzam Saitona: A recently promoted lieutenant under Siltran. Holds a strong hatred towards Kanonno and wishes to kill her.**

**Sex: Male Age: 26. Hair color: Blonde. Eye color: Brown. Weapons: Two hatchets.**

**Voice actor: Johnny Yong Bosch. Seiyu: Toshihiko Seki**

**That's all. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	34. Chapter 33: Freudian Excuse

**Hi again! Final Poke Mario Fan back as always, another chapter up his sleeve! Now go and receive!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing!

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 33: Freudian Excuse

(A/N: This chapter is _very _disturbing and will contain potential M-rated violence. You have been warned, for those of you who are queasy to this sort of thing.)

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_Unknown location, Scollance..._

Tribilin was sitting down in a room in a town in Scollance, violently eating a meal of steak. As he continued scarfing down the massive slob of meat, a blue-light viewer started to materialize in front of him. He took one large bite from the steak, and spat it down on the plate it was on, the blood dripping down his chin. As Valvus' face materialized, Tribilin licked the blood from his chin and drank it, to Valvus' disgust. He stretched out, and smirked as usual, preparing himself for whatever Valvus had to say.

"Well, well, what do we have here? If it isn't Valvus! Welcome to my humble domain, my most esteemed emperor. _Please_ tell me how I could possibly assist such a great, powerful man!" Tribilin sarcastically exclaimed, widening his arms.

Valvus rolled his eyes, staring at Tribilin seriously. "I have no time to play your games, Tribilin. I need some information regarding the battles in Eastern Scollance. I haven't received any reports since the failed destruction of Gernicamo. Give me a summary of all the activities the UFTW have been doing for the past week, and if there were any battles, tell me the details. I don't want you fooling around or mincing words at all. Just give me the whole thing, and the whole thing only."

"Ah damn, damn. That's not fun at all. Fine, if you insist on knowing, then I will tell, my _magnificent _emperor. In the past few days, the UFTW has made their move, having departed from Fort Besos and moved down south. They attacked Yazak about two days back. Our numbers were strong, but they were using battering rams and catapults. They broke our defenses, and took over the town fully a few hours later. My unit and a few others escaped, and we've retreated to Vanet. The UFTW are currently using Gernicamo as a base right now, and they'll probably pursue in a few days. Well!? Did I answer your question?" Tribilin explained.

Valvus sighed, nodding. "Yes, Tribilin. That's...that's good enough. So...Yazak has been lost, huh? That cuts off our connections with the northeastern part of the main section of Scollance. Hmm...fortunately, the eastern section of the Anzet Mines doesn't have as much materials as the western side, so we should be alright there. I'm guessing that the UFTW will continue to try to take over Eastern Scollance while their other units attempt to take the Northern Icelands. I'd imagine if they take the Icelands, they'll go through the Fenaza Pass, leading them into Western Scollance. I'd say the two will then try to launch a pincer attack on Western Scollance, and then attack the castle."

"Heh. The UFTW thinks they have us beat, but that's where they're wrong. The strategy they're using is very trite and outdated. Now then, Valvus, why won't you let us ever attack them!? So far, all we've done is defend? You gave us the order not to attack them and just defend instead, but give me a chance! I'm so damn sick of waiting for the bastards to attack us! It takes too much time away from bloodshed! You let Belladonna's unit attack Rasgon early on in the war! I want to kill something without having to worry to defend something! I need blood...I need blood...I need blood!" Tribilin exclaimed, an angry look on his face.

"It is all according to the plan. The modifications made to the Ruins of Jezid we made at the beginning of the war...thanks to the Eye of God, Assimilation has already grown stronger. And with the power the Eye of God has used, Assimilation will grow even stronger. Thanks to the sample we got from Kanonno back as Belladonna in the Trabadian Desert, Assimilation's power will increase tenfold in the prescience of them, and the blocking rate has spiked up from 20 percent to 70 percent without the third."

"However, without the third, that 80 percent will still be left unaccounted for. Therefore, if the third doesn't arrive in time, the chance of Assimilation working is slim without them. However, if we do manage to get the third in time, you will be free to attack them. That's why we need to let them come to us rather than stalling them with our own attacks." Valvus explained.

Tribilin's face grew angry. "Don't give me that crap! If we just attacked, then they'd never get there in the first place! All I need to do is rush out, and slaughter every last one of them, relishing in their blood! Instead, you're just virtually sacrificing all of us to them as if you're some sort of god! Don't think you can use us like your own playthings, Valvus!"

Valvus merely sat up straighter in his seat. "In case you haven't noticed, Tribilin, I am Emperor of Pasca. I _am _essentially the god of Pasca. And...speaking of blood, Tribilin, you do realize today is the 22nd..."

"Don't even _think _about finishing that sentence, Valvus! I don't need you reminding me of what today is! You should have kept your damn mouth shut! I absolutely _hate _this day, and I try to forget it all the time!" Tribilin exclaimed, his voice shaking with anger and _fear_.

"...Given the circumstances of today, I'll excuse your behavior and I'll respect your feelings. Very well, Tribilin. I'm done talking to you anyway. Dismissed." Valvus replied. With that, the blue-light viewer vanished, leaving Tribilin alone.

Tribilin gave a wry smirk, and went over to his chest of belongings. He opened the chest, and pulled out a small box, opening it. Inside of it was a small, bloodstained dagger. The bloodstain was very old, at least one year old. His smirk grew wider, and he grabbed his shirt, throwing it off. On his chest were 21 scars across his chest, each one directly below each other until they stopped at his solarplex. He then held the knife, and cut himself deeply directly below the 21st scar, creating another scar. The entire time, he kept smirking while doing so...

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_Lavard..._

His conversation with Tribilin over, Valvus leaned back in the chair in his private quarters, sighing, eating his dinner alone tonight. He glanced outside, watching as snow fell from the sky onto the castle and the city, several inches high. Valvus frowned, as his recent conversation with Tribilin had triggered an unpleasant memory from his mind. Trying to shake it off, he instead decided to focus his mind back onto a certain part of the talk he just had.

_Tribilin...you're sharper than I thought. It seems that for all of your insanity, even you can see that I wasn't telling you the full truth concerning why I've ordered that the entire Pascan military to play a strictly defensive plan. Yes, Tribilin...the other reason why I'm letting the UFTW attack us...is because of you..._

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_Frean, the next morning..._

Alex woke up in a room in Frean, his eyes stirring. He yawned, stretching out as he rubbed his eyes, blinking to wake up. He slowly got out of his bed, shivering as he felt the cold as he left the warm embrace of the bed covers. He grabbed the vacuum-space sphere from the nightstand and retrieved the Radiant equipment, putting it on. Alex then went towards the door, and opened it, only to see Kanonno walking right towards him. She and Alex both gasped in surprise at seeing each other.

"O...oh! G...good morning, Alex!" Kanonno greeted, an embarrassed blush on her face. Unlike every other day Alex had seen her, Kanonno was not wearing her armor. Instead, she wore a brown coat buttoned up over her chest. She was also wearing some thick black pants, wearing ordinary leather boots rather than the silver greaves she usually wore.

"G...good morning, Kanonno. Is there something you want from me?" Alex asked, a bit confused why Kanonno was wearing those clothes.

Kanonno noticed Alex's look and smiled. "Right, you weren't up earlier. Well, Kratos says that we're going to stay in the city for a few days so that we can gather reinforcements and get some reconnaissance, so we have the next few days off! Since you're usually not doing that much, I was wondering if you'd like to go around the city with me today, you know, get something to eat, take a look around, that kind of stuff."

"Really? We have the day off? Wow, that's rare. As for your question, of course! I'd love to go around with you today!" Alex replied, smiling.

Kanonno nodded. "Great! But, you know, you really can't go around wearing that armor all day! Put on something...you know, normal. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you wear anything but that armor ever since I regained my memory. You _do _have other clothes, right?"

Alex suddenly blushed at this comment, scratching the back of his head. "Well...uh...yeah, I do. Just...nothing that's appropriate for the winter...I didn't figure we'd have to wear anything normal...you know what I mean?"

Kanonno sighed. "Alex...come on, don't you have any sense of normalcy at all? Just because you're a Descender _and _a Brigadier General doesn't mean that you have to play up to both roles each time and become absorbed in them! You've been so caught up in the military ever since the war began. Leave some time for fun for once. Here, I'll take you out now, and I'll help you get some new clothes, alright?"

"Er...um...yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe a change in pace would be good for myself. Alright then, let's go. We can pick up some breakfast after we finish shopping for new clothes. Is that alright?" Alex replied, a bit embarrassed.

"Sure, I'm good with that. Ok then, here we go." Kanonno replied.

The two nodded to each other, and headed down the stairs of the wooden hallway, going to the ground floor of the military base. As they reached the ground floor, they saw several UFTW soldiers headed towards the mess hall. Alex and Kanonno momentarily considered going to the mess hall to see their friends first, but they decided against it. As they were leaving, they saw Arche walking towards the mess hall.

Arche noticed the two walking towards her, and she smiled. "Good morning, you two! Are you coming to breakfast right now?"

"No, not today. We've decided to go out in the city together for the day. Probably just going to do something simple like some shopping, going out to eat, take a look around the city, that kind of stuff. We'll probably be back right after dinner, if everything goes to plan. Tell the others that in case they go looking for us, alright?" Alex answered, smiling.

Upon hearing all of this, Arche's eyes widened, and suddenly, a mischievous smirk filled her face, a knowing look in it. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I see now. Hee hee hee. Well, don't worry at all; I'll be sure to tell them in case something comes up. As for you two...just go out and have some _fun_. I'm pretty sure the two of you will be enjoying lots of quality time _together_. Alright then, I'll see you two tonight! Just remember: don't go _that_far!"

The two of them had a confused look on their faces, Kanonno especially. "'That far'? Arche, what do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Well, bye!" Arche replied. Still smirking, she ran into the mess hall, seeing the Ad Libitum members gathered around at one table. Arche hastily went over to the food line, got her food, and ran over to the table, a _very _cheerful look on her face.

Cless stared at Arche blankly. "Arche? Is...something wrong?"

Arche smirked wider, catching the entire table's attention. "Guys! You're not going to believe this! Alex and Kanonno are going on a _date_!"

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_Frean, an hour later...__  
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Alex and Kanonno were sitting down in a restaurant, having just finished up their shopping. Alex had now changed from his armor into new clothes. He was now wearing a new dark red coat that was buttoned up over a black undershirt. He wore brown pants and had also taken to wearing some new leather boots. He also was wearing some leather gloves, as was Kanonno, who had bought some new clothes as well. They sat down quietly, each of them looking over the clothes they had bought.

A waitress walked up to Alex and Kanonno, carrying two steaming cups of coffee. "Here's your coffee."

"Thank you." Alex and Kanonno both replied. The waitress nodded, and walked off.

Alex grabbed his cup, taking a sip from it. "Wow, the coffee here is pretty good! Better than anything I've drunk in the bases, that's for sure. Say, Kanonno, where does most of the coffee in Pasca come from?"

"The coffee? Well, let's see...most of it is grown in Lavard, especially near the middle of it. They use a special process in which they extract a certain part of the substance inside the cocoa beans in which the coffee comes from. They use that special part of the bean in order to optimize the flavor of the coffee, and are able to alter it in order to suit the tastes of anyone. It's pretty remarkable, especially when considering this world's technology in comparison to some of the other worlds I've been to." Kanonno replied, also taking a sip of her coffee.

"I've got to agree with you there. When I went around various worlds on my quest to gather soldiers for the UFTW, I was very impressed with how advanced they are compared to Terresia. Especially that 'Auldrant' world...I'm not going to even bother asking how they managed to reach technology of that level strong enough to make an entire city float on water without there being an island of any sort to support them." Alex agreed.

Kanonno looked surprised. "Really? I don't really remember many of the worlds I've been to...especially since I only spent a short time on each when...during the Gilgulim Crisis...when I..."

Alex shook his head. "What's done is done, Kanonno. We can't keep looking back on the negative aspects of our past. All it will do is blind us and bring us grief. We have to move on."

"...You're right. We need to look away from the past, and into the future. Anyway, speaking of the worlds, I was thinking that maybe when this war was over, humans should try to find a new power source for Pasca that isn't mana." Kanonno replied, sipping again.

Alex put his cup down after a sip, confused. "Another power source besides mana? What do you mean? I mean, I've been to worlds that don't even use mana at all, but Pasca is a world that has an actual World Tree. It sounds pretty complicated, if you ask me. What else in the world could provide as much power as mana does? I know that nothing comes to my mind."

Kanonno fidgeted her fingers. "Well...I don't really know myself, either. But if we continue to rely on mana, people like Widdershin and Valvus will continue to misuse mana and try to use it for their own purposes. I think...no, I _know_ that in order to prevent things like that from happening again, we'll need to introduce a new source of power. In time, if this source of power is used for a long time, people should forget about mana eventually. I know mana is what keeps us whole, but an entire world is worth protecting from those horrors."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Speaking of which, why did you decide to ask me of all people to go out with you in the city today?" Alex questioned.

Kanonno got a little mad at this. "What, are you saying you don't _want _to be here right now?!"

Alex shook his head. "No, far from it. I'm just wondering why you singled me out of all the other Ad Libitum members. I mean, you haven't really seen any of them for long, have you? I thought that you'd want to see me the _least_, considering what happened yesterday..."

Kanonno sighed, glaring at Alex. "Alex, enough. I know what you're thinking right now, so I'll tell you this: you have to stop being like this. We had this discussion yesterday, remember?"

"But...but I'm just a Descender. A weapon. While I may be of use to Terresia, when it comes to everything else, there's nothing. I..." Alex began. 

"_Enough!_ Alex, I'm going to say this once, and only once, so make sure this gets through your thick skull! There's one thing you must always, _always_ remember. You are not worthless." Kanonno angrily replied, though her tone softened as she reached the end of her sentence.

Alex stared at Kanonno, confused. "Not...not worthless? What do you mean? When it comes down to it, I have no value whatsoever. Anyone who tries to be friends with me will only be hurt in the end by my disappearance. I can't have a normal life, either. After all, I'm just a Descen..."

"Stop using that _damn _excuse! No matter what you say, you can't use the fact that you're a Descender as justification for being so reclusive! Even if we are Descenders, we are still people! Just like everyone else here! You can't hide like this behind your wall of excuses! Alex, everyone in Ad Libitum thinks of you as a friend. If anyone at all considers you a friend, that means that you have value! And I...I consider you to be my best friend! That alone should tell you you are not worthless! Well?!" Kanonno exclaimed, though quietly enough so no one heard.

Alex sat there for a few seconds in complete silence, shocked. He was about to cry, but then he held back his tears, still thinking. Finally, he looked straight at Kanonno, smiling at her widely.

"Kanonno...thank you..."

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_Six hours later..._

Alex and Kanonno were now sitting on a bench in a field near the town square, deciding to take a break after shopping and walking around for the last couple of hours, having just finished lunch. They had bought a few minor things, and ever since the incident at breakfast, Alex was in a much more upbeat and pleasant attitude, bringing a smile to Kanonno's face. Several people passed by them, but no one spared them a second glance at all, to Alex's somewhat confusion, since Kanonno had killed everyone in Pasca, but he decided not to press the subject.

Alex sighed, looking around the city. "You know, it's funny. I never really took the time to really look at what Pasca's towns were like. Every other time, I was either trying to fight for my life or ordering someone to go to a certain part of town. Looking at this town, though...it feels different. I feel like I'm actually seeing Pasca for the first time as a person, and not a soldier."

Kanonno looked up at him. "I see...But it's good to take a change in pace every so often. When you do, you find that you see things in a very different way than you did before. And those times, you can realize that your old way of thinking things through was wrong compared to your new view. People need to see things different ways if they want know more about the world, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But still, clinging to the old ways can be a good thing. I mean, I think we all need to keep both the old ways and the new ways in order to become a better person. I mean, we wouldn't want you to forget some of your more...interesting views." Alex replied, smirking at the end.

Kanonno noticed the smirking, and reacted in fake anger. "Hey! You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

Alex just smirked wider. "And if I am?"

Kanonno hit his arm playfully. "Hmph! Fine, I see how it is!"

Alex sighed, purposefully overexaggerated, and the two started laughing for a couple of seconds. When they stopped, they turned back towards each other.

"Anyway, I was..." Alex started, but he stopped as he saw something pass by his face. Looking forward he saw that the object in question was a snowball, and that several kids were out in the field, having a snowball fight with each other, greatly enjoying it.

Kanonno smiled. "It's...it's nice to see things like this. To let us know that even while we're at war, people can still be themselves and have fun."

Alex nodded in agreement, and then continued to watch the kids have their snowball fight. Alex looked back at Kanonno, and noticed she was still staring at the fight, her eyes not really focused on anything, deep in thought as she had a sad smile on her face, her eyes also mixed with sadness and a sort of dazed look.

"Kanonno?" Alex said, trying to see what was wrong. 

Kanonno broke out of her trance, and when she saw Alex, she immediately blushed and looked away. "A...Alex! You caught me be by surprise there! Is...is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I just noticed that..." Alex started, but before he could finish, he was hit in the face by a snowball. Noticing the kids had left the field, he saw Kanonno was smirking, her right glove covered in snow.

Kanonno giggled. "Alex, you're off guard. Your senses are..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Alex quickly made a snowball and threw it at her face.

"Now who's off guard again?" Alex replied, smirking.

"Oh, now you've asked for it!" Kanonno answered, smirking back.

The two ran to the field, and quickly began a snowball fight. The two ran behind trees, using them to hide each other, and began exchanging snowballs in a manner similar to a gunfight. Alex quickly rolled up a snowball, and threw it at Kanonno, who dodged and threw a snowball at Alex, hitting him in the arm. He grunted, and quickly made another snowball, throwing it swiftly at Kanonno. Kanonno looked surprised at the speed of the snowball, but she smirked, and just before the snowball could hit her, a shield made of mana suddenly materialized, evaporating the snowball. Kanonno then threw the snowball she held, hitting Alex in the face.

Alex stared in shock for a few seconds before snapping out of it. "What...what are you doing?" 

"You never said we couldn't use our Descender powers!" Kanonno replied, still smirking. Alex grunted in frustration, but grinned to himself as an idea came across his mind. He quickly ran behind the tree, and made two snowballs. Waiting for Kanonno, he saw her finally run out. He threw the first snowball at her, and she gracefully dodged it. However, he threw the second snow ball at the exact same time to the location Kanonno had dodged to. Having no time to dodge it, Kanonno gasped, and was hit in the face. She quickly made a snowball and threw it at Alex, who hid behind the tree again.

Alex threw another snowball, and Kanonno merely formed a small shield again, though she began panting afterwards. Alex then quickly made about four snowballs, and then closed his eyes. Kanonno finished panting, and raised a snowball to strike Alex, but found herself confused when she saw Alex was no longer in front of her. Suddenly, she felt about four snowballs hit her hard in the back, and turned around, seeing Alex with his arms outstretched, a blue portal dissipating behind him. She then quickly ran to the left, and formed a snowball while moving, firing it forward...

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_Ten minutes later..._

Alex and Kanonno were lying on the ground, exhausted after the snow fight. They were panting, arms outstretched, and suddenly began laughing. Several people eyed them curiously as the two lay there, laughing their heads off, and the people staring at them merely shook their heads and sighed, moving on with their business. The two continued to laugh for a couple of more seconds, and they finally stood up, panting. After about a minute, they caught their breaths, and started walking back.

"Well, Alex? What do you think?" Kanonno said, smiling.

"That was...that was..." Alex began. His eyes then went wide, and seemed to be partially stunned. "That was _fun_! This...this is the first time I've ever done anything 'fun' ever since I was resurrected! I feel so...so...I don't know what to say. I've...I've never felt this way before. It's like happiness, but beyond that. I can't think of what to say, but I don't want this feeling to stop."

"Really? Hmm...I think I know how you feel. Back when I was first 'born' before the Genocide, I didn't really have emotions at first. Well, actually, it's more like I had emotion, but I didn't understand it. When I saw how greedily the Pascans were wasting mana and waging war against each other, I felt enraged, but at the time I didn't understand that feeling. After the Genocide was over, and I saw the extent of what I had truly done, I felt...sorrow and horror. I began to understand emotion then, and it wasn't until I got to Terresia that I truly understood most emotions. After all, we Descenders are more or less blank slates when we're born." Kanonno replied.

"I see...thanks, Kanonno. Well then, shall we go back through the city?" Alex asked.

Kanonno nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Alex nodded, and was walking with Kanonno when a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Say, Kanonno. Earlier, when we were watching those kids have their snowball fight, I noticed that you looked kind of sad. Did something happen?"

Kanonno was caught off guard at first, but her expression then changed to one of puzzlement. "Really? I didn't feel any sadness or anything like that. Are you sure you weren't just thinking about it the wrong way or something?"

"Hmm...you're probably right. Nevermind, then. Let's keep going." Alex replied.

Kanonno smiled, but when Alex turned back to the road, the semi-sad look resurfaced on her face, her mind turning back to that moment.

_If...If I were a human, then...One day, I would have liked to see my _own _children doing that..._

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_One week later, outside of Frean..._

The unit was marching outside toward Inost, having finally completed their preparations the day before. With the Creitz Pass having cleared up with the help of UFTW mages, reinforcements could now come in through the Tunnel. Alex was riding out in the back alongside Kanonno as always. Alex noticed that Kanonno was very uneasy about Inost; whenever Alex brought it up, Kanonno would always change the subject, her face showing a brief, disturbed glance each time she changed it.

Alex shrugged it off, and shook his head, continuing to ride. Suddenly, he noticed Chester riding up to him on his horse. Alex braced himself. Ever since the incident where Kanonno told Chester she couldn't replace his sister, he hadn't spoken a word to neither her nor Alex. Chester glanced at Alex, and then rode around him towards Kanonno, who was also preparing herself for a potentially ugly encounter.

Chester took a deep breath, and spoke up. "Kanonno. I...I wanted to apologize to you about what happened back in Besos. I'm sorry. I gave a lot of thought over what you told me, and I realized you were right. You can't replace my sister."

Kanonno glanced at Chester, surprised. "Chester? I..."

"Wait! Let me finish. I thought back to when we were Terresia all of those months ago. I realize that all that time, I wasn't seeing you. All I could keep seeing was the reflection of my sister in you. Also, I thought about that other story you told me, and I realize that I don't want to end up like that man, trapped in an illusion forever. I've decided it's time for me to move on. Kanonno, can you forgive me for all that happened?" Chester finished, his head low.

"Of course I do, Chester. I'd also like to apologize for being harsh on you back at Besos. I said a lot of things back then, and some of them were rude and unnecessary. Would you forgive me as well?" Kanonno asked, smiling.

Chester nodded. "I don't really see why you need to, but yes, I forgive you."

Alex watched all of this, relieved that his friends had made up and were friends again. Feeling the wind blow on his face, he turned his attention to the north yet again...

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_One day later, one mile outside of Inost..._

Unlike yesterday, which had been clear, the next day was dark and cloudy, snow falling down. The unit had been slowed down a bit by the weather, but they were making good time, preparing for battle. Alex was riding next to Kanonno yet again, and noticed that she was _really_ uncomfortable today, somewhat in a scared manner, as the town appeared over in front of them. Alex couldn't see the town very well in the weather, but he did see several guard towers over the town, and got prepared for battle mentally.

Suddenly, Kratos' head perked, and he faced the rest of the unit. "Every, be careful! A Pascan soldier with a flag is approaching us! In case this is a trap, get ready!"

The soldiers nodded, and prepared to unsheathe their weapons if necessary. Several seconds later, they saw a horse, covered entirely in armor to keep it warm, riding over to them, a soldier with a green flag riding on top. Knowing that a green flag was a sign of an enemy ceasefire to talk with the other, the soldiers loosened their grips on their weapons, but still prepared themselves.

The soldier got off his horse, held his arms up, and waited for a few seconds before speaking up. "UFTW soldiers! I am a messenger from the division at Inost! The head of forces there, General Vescas, has a message written for the head of your unit! Come forth, and take the message."

Kratos looked around, nodded, and walked up to the messenger. Nodding, the messenger gave him a scroll. Kratos opened it up, and read through it.

"General Ka..." Kratos started, but stopped himself, remembering that bringing up Kanonno's name to the messenger would not be a good idea. He looked around at Kanonno's horse, and noticed something, clearing his throat.

"General Earhart, could you come here for a second?" Kratos asked, glancing at Kanonno's eyes. Realizing what Kratos meant, Kanonno nodded, and walked up to him. Kratos then showed her the letter, which she reacted to in surprise, and then asked her something. Kanonno's face grew dark, and she said something in response to Kratos. Nodding afterwards, Kratos then faced the unit.

"UFTW soldiers! According to this letter, the Pascan forces at Inost have decided to surrender to us and lay down their arms in exchange that we do not attack the town at all. We will enter the town and meet with the enemy generals, and then we will set up in the military base." Kratos explained, looking at the scroll.

The UFTW soldiers started cheering, and the mood instantly lifted, celebrating the surrender. However, several people, including Alex, frowned at this.

_Strange. None of this makes any sense. Why would the soldiers of Inost surrender the town without even having seen our unit first hand? I mean, I know they had scouts, but did we outnumber them or something? This just doesn't seem right. Maybe when we get into the town, I'll find out more_, Alex thought.

Up front, the cheering stopped, and the soldiers started heading up towards Inost. Kanonno ran back to Alex, and mounted her horse. Riding ahead, she rode next to Kratos, turning to face him.

"Say, Kratos? Where did you get the 'Earhart' name from? I mean, I know you were just using an alias so they wouldn't figure out who I was, but I'm curious where that name came from." Kanonno asked.

Kratos faced Kanonno, and pointed to her horse. "It's on your horse's saddle. On the lower left corner of the saddle is an insignia that reads 'Earhart Saddles'. It was the quickest name I could see, so I decided to use it."

Kanonno nodded. "I see. Hmm...Earhart...Kratos, I think that starting today, I should use 'Earhart' as my official last name from this point forward. There will undoubtly be situations like this again, and I might as well get some sort of last name anyway, since I don't have one. From now on, my name is 'Kanonno Earhart', and I will be addressed by soldiers as 'General Earhart'. Is that all right, Kratos?"

"I have no objections. Your request is granted, Kanonno." Kratos merely replied.

Silently nodding in response, Kanonno returned her gaze to the rest of the unit, and her face once again became one of uneasiness as she rode towards Inost...

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_Inost..._

The unit finally rolled into Inost, marching in a single file formation. Looking around the town, Alex noticed that unlike other parts of Pasca, nearly all of the buildings here were much more recent, at least fifteen years old. The roads were covered in snow except for several footprints, revealing a stone pathway. Many townspeople were standing in the street, glaring at the UFTW. Seeing them, Alex couldn't help but notice that the oldest people there were only in their early fifties, odd considering that in other cities, the oldest people were in their seventies.

Doing his best to ignore the glares of the civilians, Alex tried to focus his attention on something else, eventually turning to Kanonno. She was doing her best to focus on the ground, though Alex noticed her head was slightly tilted to the right. Confused at this, Alex turned his head over to the left side, and what he saw shocked him.

_What the...what the hell is _this_?_

While the rest of the left side of the street was filled up with houses, there was one spot that was completely empty. On the ground of that empty spot was a small crater, burnt wood lying all around it, very old, as there were no insects living in the Northern Icelands to decompose them. But what shocked Alex the most was the far left side of the crater.

Countless numbers of bloodstains were covering the wood on the left side of the crater. There was so much blood that it had to be from the entire blood supply of at least three people. What appeared to be several small white rocks also surrounded the bloodstains, though they were generally in the same area. Several strings of long hardened meat also were also seen covering the bloody timbers. Disgusted by this, Alex looked up, only to see the soldiers and the Ad Libitum members staring at the crater in shock as well.

Up in the front, Kratos had dismounted his horse, and was talking with what appeared to be the lead general of Inost. They were discussing the surrender conditions about Inost, trying to reach an agreement. Making sure this wasn't a trap, Alex scanned the area through the corners of his eyes, and was relieved to find that there was no soldiers hiding. Finally, the two nodded at each other and shook hands, and Kratos returned to the unit.

"Attention! I have just finished talking with the general of Inost, and we've decided to talk about this in further detail in the military base. General Curtiss, General Gallardo, and General Yaciel are to accompany me to the base. The rest of you, remain where you are. That is all." Kratos explained. Jade, Eugene, and General Yaciel saluted, and then followed Kratos as they went with the general.

The soldiers all began to chat with each other after the General were long out of sight. Alex, however, could not get the crater out of his mind, so he rode his horse over to Kanonno, who was still looking towards the right. "Kanonno?"

Kanonno gasped in surprise, and turned to Alex. "Oh, Alex! S...Sorry, you startled me. Is something wrong?"

"Well...nothing personally, but...Kanonno...just what is that wreckage on the left side of the street? There's...there's so much blood, and it looks like that it's been there for a while. Why haven't the townspeople cleaned it up yet? Surely they've had plenty of time to do so." Alex asked, glancing back at the wreckage.

Upon hearing this, Kanonno's face darkened, frowning and several of Ad Libitum members went a little closer to listen. "I...I hoped you wouldn't have asked about it, but..."

Alex grew concerned. "What's wrong Kanonno? Wait...don't tell that this had anything to do with your genocide all those years ago?"

Kanonno shook her head. "No, that's not it. I guess...I guess you have a right to know about it. Alright then, allow me to explain. The wreckage is about twenty two years old, and the reason it has not been cleared is because that ground is strictly forbidden to go on or to clear it up."

"Huh? Why? That doesn't make any sense." Alex answered, puzzled.

Finally, Kanonno turned to the wreckage reluctantly. "It's a reminder of what happened. Alex, have you ever read about the Granvoise-Lavard conflict of 1577?"

"Well...just a little bit. From what I read, my basic knowledge of it is that it was a war between Granvoise and Lavard that went on for two years. Granvoise nearly beat Lavard because they were able to use new warships to cross over the Frozen Sea north of the Icelands and surprised Lavard by attacking from the north, but Lavard managed to fight them off and eventually went into Granvoise and defeated them." Alex explained.

Kanonno nodded. "That's right. However, there is one part of the war that only the residents in this town know, as they've been silenced by Valvus. You see, when the warships were sailing in the Frozen Sea, they were running a little low on supplies. Because of this, they sailed near the coast of the Icelands and eventually found a place to moor. The closest town was Inost."

Sighing, she continued. "The Granvoise soldiers demanded that Inost should give them food and supplies so they could get back on their ships and continue. However, the people of Inost refused, saying that since they weren't a part of the war, they would support neither side to avoid conflict from the opposing nations. Needless to say, however, the Granvoise soldiers were not happy by this."

"The next day, the Granvoise soldiers attacked Inost in earnest. They...they burnt everything to the ground...they stole the supplies, raped women, but worst of all...they killed everyone in the town. By the end of the day, the entire town was burnt to the ground. There were no survivors...except for one person."

Alex, who had a face mixed with anger and shock, looked surprised at this. "There was a survivor?"

"That's right. The wreckage over there was left because that was where the home of the survivor was. That survivor...was Tribilin."

"W...WHAT!?" Alex exclaimed, completely in shock.

Kanonno nodded, looking more uneasy than she had been before. "Yes...Tribilin. He was eight years old at the time of the attack. He lived in that house with his parents, his five year old sister, Jema, and his three year old brother, Dahmi. When the attack happened, he and his family were just fleeing from their house through a side door that would lead behind the house. When running through the door, Tribilin tripped and fell on his back. Just then, an Explosion spell hit the house, causing it to collapse. Tribilin fell unconscious here."

_So _that's _why he hates Explosion_, Alex thought, still reeling in shock.

Her arms shaking, Kanonno spoke up again. "Tribilin woke up some time later, though he isn't sure how long he was out. When he woke up, he was buried under the wreckage of his house, his body crushed under the wood, though he miraculously suffered few injuries from that. He tried to get out, but he couldn't. When he looked around him, he saw the charred bodies of his family literally right next to his face, their bodies surrounding him. He screamed and screamed for help, but no one came- they were all dead, after all."

"Tribilin kept trying and trying to get out, but to no avail. He did manage to get his arms three on his third day trapped, but he still couldn't escape. Because he was wearing a coat and hat at the time, he didn't freeze to death. But by the third day, he was starved and nearly dehydrated, and eating the snow around him barely doing anything to help. With his arms free and losing his mind over the exhaustion, he...he...he..." Kanonno couldn't finish the last part of the sentence, looking like she was going to throw up.

Alex, still shocked, placed his hand on Kanonno's shoulder. "He what? Kanonno, what happened next?"

Kanonno was silent for a few seconds, and then barely started up again. "He...he...HE ATE THE BODIES OF HIS FAMILY AND DRANK THEIR BLOOD!"

Once those words were said, Alex and those who were listening gasped in pure shock, unable to say anything. Alex, his mouth wide and his face pale, tried to say something, but could not find the words.

Her uneasiness at its peak, Kanonno continued. "I wish I were making this up, but it's true. Using his hands and mouth, Tribilin literally ate all the skin and a lot of muscle off the bodies of his family. The blood was still in their bodies, giving enough nourishment to prevent Tribilin from dying of dehydration. No one in Inost knows this...they just assume all the blood was from the explosion."

"At this time, a unit of Lavard soldiers was passing on a ship near Scollance when they saw smoke coming from the Icelands, and saw Granvoise warships sailing away. They moored near the Creitz Pass and went through it, determined to find out what Granvoise was up to. Finally, the unit arrived in Inost...this was exactly two weeks after it was burned. Valvus was with that very unit, and he told me what happened next..."

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_(Flashback)_

_Inost, twenty two years ago..._

_A unit of Lavard soldiers was marching towards Inost, preparing their weapons in case something happened. Near the front of the unit was Valvus, his hands on the hilt of his sword. His features were much lighter, his face having no lines on them and his hair slightly longer, his amethyst eyes looking around. When Inost came into view, the soldiers stood there for a moment in shock, before running towards it._

_When they arrived, they looked around in horror. The entire town had been burnt completely, timbers of wood scattered around everywhere. Bodies of men, women, children, and even babies littered the streets, though there was no stench coming from them. Blood had dyed the ground red, nearly all of the snow reflecting this new change._

_"My Avoli...what happened here?" A soldier cried out, horrified._

_The general of the army spotted something on the ground, and picked it up, his fist suddenly clenched in rage. "A fragment from a Granvoise flag...damn it. We were too late. They've been long gone since. And judging by the looks of things, they took everything here. Destroying a village over supplies...this is unforgivable."_

_"G...General Taabes, what should we do?" Valvus asked, fear in his eyes._

_"...We'll search the town to see if we can find anything. Then, we'll rest for the night, and..." The general started._

_Just then, the sound of wood moving slightly was heard, startling the unit. Hearing it come from the left side of the street, Valvus charged straight ahead, ignoring warnings from the general. When he finally reached the source of the noise, his eyes widened, and he gagged, throwing up on the ground in front of him. When the rest of the unit charged after him to see what was wrong, most of them soon got similar reactions._

_Under the wreckage of a house on the left of the street was a young boy, struggling to get out. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, showing he had not had rest for a few days. A cap lay next to him, and piles of vomit were all over the snow. _

_But what shocked the soldiers the most was that from his hair to his midsection, the boy was completely covered in blood, both old and new. Many cuts were all over the boy's arms, though the nature of them could not be told. Even worse, the soldiers saw that surrounding the boy were very bloody skeletons, their flesh completely gone from them. Chunks of muscle tissue still remained on the bodies, but all of the organs were completely gone._

_"What...what in the..." A soldier remarked, literally shaking in his boots._

_"This is awful..."_

_"What the hell is this?"_

_Amongst the shocked voices of the crowd, Valvus got over his shock, and started to approach the boy, looking back at the general, who reluctantly nodded. Valvus went over to the boy, and tried to grab off one of the timbers, but the boy started screaming off the top of his lungs, flailing his arms and hitting Valvus, albeit weakly. Valvus tried to calm him down, but the boy just kept screaming and hitting. Finally, a mage from the soldiers stepped forward, and cast a sleep spell on the boy, who stopped screaming, and fell unconscious._

_Valvus, still recovering from the shock, turned back to the unit. "General Taabes, what do we do with the boy?"_

_The general stood there for what seemed like forever, and then finally looked up. "Sergeant Goden, move the timbers and take the boy. We'll take him with us back to Lavard, and then we'll bring him back here once we figure out what to do with him. Everyone else, continue searching! And I need a mage to dispose of the skeletons around the boy! Let's move!"_

_Saluting, the soldiers ran off, going to perform their tasks. Valvus went back to the timbers, moved them off, and picked up the boy with his arms, looking at him in pity. A mage then went right next to him, and cast a fire spell on the skeletons, burning them into ash..._

_(End flashback...)_

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_Present..._

"How horrible..." Alex commented.

Kanonno, looking a bit more relieved now, kept talking. "Valvus' unit returned to their ship, where they took Tribilin and returned to Lavard. Tribilin didn't speak a word for months, and was kept in a confinement ward, where he just sat all day, staring at the walls. Finally, when he recovered some bit and the war had ended, Valvus took Tribilin back to the Icelands, where he was put up for adoption in Frean. Eventually, a few months later, Tribilin was adopted by a man named Nocen. However...things just got worse for Tribilin..."

Kanonno lowered her head "Nocen was a truly cruel man. He didn't care one bit about Tribilin, and just treated him like a slave and made him work hard for him with barely any food or water, and beat him all the time. But the worst part...Nocen was a major pedophile. He constantly raped Tribilin all the time, as well as plenty of other young boys, including his own nephew, Giza. If Tribilin tried to resist, Nocen just kept beating him and raping him. One time he even locked him up in his cellar for five days, where Tribilin nearly died."

"N...no way..." Alex said, face sullen.

"This kept up like this until Tribilin was 16. Finally, one day, he just snapped. He actually told me the story of that very day as well..."

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_(Flashback...)_

_"You little bastard! I dare you to say that again!" A man, Nocen, yelled, punching a younger Tribilin to the ground. He was in his late fifties, and was a man of rough, short stature, with long brown hair with a beard. His eyes flared, teeming with anger._

_Tribilin lay on the ground, putting his hand to his cheek. An enraged look filled his face, blood pouring out of his lip. "I said I've had it with your crap! You don't tell me what to do anymore! I'm not going to be your little butt-buddy anymore, boy-lover! You don't deserve the right to do whatever you want to me! Go fuck yourself, Nocen!"_

_"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Nocen exclaimed, his anger at its peak. He grabbed Tribilin up by the neck, and started beating him in the stomach. Finally, when Tribilin looked just about dead, he threw Tribilin near the stairs, causing him to crash against the banister. Tribilin barely kneeled up, gasping for air. Nocen went over to him and punched him in the back, sending him to the ground. He then crouched down, grabbing the seat of Tribilin's pants, about to pull them down._

_On instinct, Tribilin kicked backwards, and managed to hit Nocen in the groin. Reeling from the pain, Nocen stepped back a little bit. Getting up, Tribilin punched Nocen with all his might, knocking him down the stairs. Nocen screamed in pain as he fell down, and when he hit the last step he flew forward, crashing right into a wall, leaving a small dent on it. Panting, Tribilin heard Nocen's screams, and ran down the stairs, a murderous look on his face. Looking at Nocen, Tribilin noticed his arms and legs had been broken by the fall._

_"Well then, Nocen...I think that I've proven you wrong. After all of these years, I have you where I want you..." Tribilin remarked. He grabbed a knife out, approaching Nocen slowly._

_"N...NO! Please...spare me! I beg you mercy! Mercy! Don't kill me! I don't want to die...I don't want to die! Please! I'll give you anything! ANYTHING!" Nocen pleaded, begging for his life._

_Tribilin stopped in his tracks, a look of pure disgust on his face, which quickly turned maniacal, as he started laughing. "Disgusting...how disgusting. All of this time, you've been the biggest bastard ever, but now, in pain and cornered, we find that you're nothing more than a coward...one big coward. Truly disgusting...all humans are disgusting. Acting all greedy, yet begging when they're about to end...disgusting."_

_"And yet...interesting. If all it is is the threat of death that makes your true personality come out, I wonder what further pain will do to you? So interesting...I was just going to straight out kill you right now, Nocen, but I'm curious to see how much pain you can live through. No...expect another day filled with agony...agony you've caused all of us for this long...why don't we begin by taking away what you've treasure the most?" _

_Outside the house, dead at night, no one ever heard the screams that came for hours from Nocen's house..._

_(End flashback...)_

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_Present..._

"...Tribilin tortured Nocen for a total of 43 hours before he finally died. Tribilin freed all of the boys Nocen had used as sex slaves, and he ran away from Frean. When people finally went into Nocen's house to see where he was, his remains were cut up so much that not even a master of puzzles could ever have hoped to put him back together. After this, Tribilin developed a fascination for the human body, so he managed to find a university, where he became a doctor afterwards. And the rest...you should know." Kanonno finished.

Alex merely sat there in silence, unable to respond as he processed all of this new information. Finally, he looked up.

"Tribilin may have had an awful childhood, but...this changes nothing." Alex replied.

"Huh?" Kanonno replied.

"This changes nothing for how I feel towards him. Having a terrible, messed up childhood does not justify you becoming a sadistic torturer. Tribilin could have found help, or something, but he did nothing. A person has full control over their own actions, so Tribilin's childhood has nothing to do with what he's doing now. He made a choice to be what he is today, and it doesn't change the fact that he killed Mormo. I do feel a bit of sympathy about him regarding his childhood, but that's no excuse for what he's doing now." Alex answered, a serious look on his face.

Kanonno paused, and then finally nodded. "I suppose you're right."

The two of them sat there silently, both reflecting on Tribilin as they stared at the wreckage...

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**So how was it****?**** Pretty brutal, but that's the way it worked out. ****Anyway, I'd like to say I'm REALLY, REALLY SORRY FOR THE LATENESS OF THIS CHAPTER!! My Junior year of high school has so much more work than any other year, so I've had trouble balancing the story and school life. Unfortunately, this means updates will been more scarce, but please be patient! I promise to keep working on this story!**

Oh yeah, and I made Kanonno's last name "Earhart" because that's what her last name is in the _**real **_**RM2. I don't particularly like it, but I might as well keep up some continuity. Anyway, that's all. Please Read and Review!**


	35. Chapter 34: Noose Around Fort Vaia

**Hi everybody! This is Final Poke Mario Fan, ready with the next chapter. Without further ado, let's go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exceptions of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 34: Noose Around Fort Vaia

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_Lavard, night after the UFTW took Inost..._

Valvus was sitting in his chambers, reading over some papers that described the incident in Inost yesterday. He frowned, and then placed the papers back on his desk, leaning forward in his chair. He placed his finger over his chin, deep in thought. The room was dead silent, with the exception of the occasional crack of the blazing fireplace. Suddenly, a blue light began to appear in front of Valvus' face, causing Valvus to blink rapidly at the bright light, unaccustomed to the bright light in the darkness. Seconds later, the blue light viewer finally formed, and Darius' face appeared, saluting.

"At ease, General Darius. What is it?" Valvus started; actually relieved he had someone to talk to for a few minutes.

Darius broke of the salute, and sighed. "I felt like I should discuss the terms of Inost's surrender with you. With Inost taken, we've lost half of the Northern Icelands. Fortunately, the mines with the most materials that are necessary for warfare are still in the west part of the Icelands, so we don't need to worry about that...yet. However, I still have my concerns about whether or not we can hold Fort Vaia. It was a good idea to send all of those extra soldiers to us; however, the UFTW has been on a string of victories."

"You're right. Inost's surrender...did you get a good look at the contents of the surrender note?" Valvus asked.

"I did. According to the note, they surrendered Inost because they were afraid of a tragedy similar to the one 23 years ago. Sure, none of them know the truth of what happened with Tribilin there, but they're well aware of the destruction caused by that incident..." Darius explained.

Valvus shook his head. "...I expected as much. Being witness to what happened, I can understand their fear of a repeat of the incident happening. However, the UFTW would never do that. They've been using a very laissez-faire method towards the captured towns and cities that they have. Still, the people of Inost wouldn't know that, being very isolated from the rest of Pasca. "

Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Valvus continued. "Despite what they believe, I still don't find this as an excuse to surrender. The UFTW was burdened down by the weather and by the rough terrain. If the soldiers at Inost had thought, they could have used both factors to their advantage and won against the UFTW. Now that they've surrendered, we'll never know the result."

Darius nodded. "...Yes, you're right. We need to ensure incidents like this never happen again. We need to defend against them and buy time while we keep looking for the third artifact. Mount Hatmas seems like the only place where it could be, yet with all the problems of working in a volcano, even with the heat shields, it could take years to excavate the entire place."

"Unfortunately, I'd have to say you're correct. If I had been able to gather more tablets back when I was in Juban, we may have been able to find more specific resources regarding the locations of the artifacts, but Juban's long gone already. But there's no need to wish for something you can't change. Darius, how well prepared are your men for combat?" Valvus asked.

"No need to worry, Master Valvus. We're all ready to take on the UFTW where we are. However...there is one thing that I am concerned about. If you remember, out archaeologists were barely able to make it out of the Retzam Icecap alive after most of the group was vaporized by that light. While they were unable to make it through, if the UFTW manages to take the port, then they could go to the Retzam Icecap and potentially find what was hidden there. If the Terresian Descender finds one of the artifacts there, either he'll get stronger or we'll never get the third. It's one way or the other, and I don't think either option is particularly beneficial." Darius replied.

Valvus instantly frowned. "You're right. And we can't burn Dalas down...it's absolutely vital for the people of the Northern Icelands to survive. Hmm...Darius, bring up Tribilin and Siltran on blue-light viewers. I want to see if they have any ideas."

"Understood, Master Valvus." Darius replied. He stretched his arm out, and seconds later, viewers of Siltran and Tribilin popped up. While Tribilin was sitting in a room somewhere doing pushups, Siltran was training with Anzam, the two of them locked in a fight. When they saw the blue-light viewers pop up, they immediately stopped, Anzam looking on in amazement. Siltran quickly dismissed him, and bowed to Valvus.

"Well, well, look what we have here. How may I help you, my wondrous emperor?" Tribilin mocked, still performing his pushups, managing his vicious smirk at the same time.

Ignoring Tribilin, Valvus spoke up. "There is an important issue that Darius brought up that we need to talk about. Considering the UFTW's progress in the war, it is possible they will reach the harbors of the Northern Icelands soon. If they get there and use the ice-breaker ships, they can get to the Retzam Icecap. If they get through it, they could find either the third artifact or the second countermeasure artifact. Either way, it will not be good for us. We need to think of something that will change the situation around from a bad one into a good one. Any ideas?"

Siltran looked up, surprised. "The UFTW is that close already? Damn...I didn't count on that happening. Maybe we could perform some sort of trade? No, that wouldn't work... the UFTW knows that we're after them. Hmm...possibly a hostage situation?"

"Siltran, Siltran. You absolutely _suck_ at thinking up plans. Where the hell are we going to find a hostage for the UFTW? No, no, no, no, _**no**_. I must say, I'm deeply disappointed. Not that I had any high hopes for you anyway." Tribilin replied, shaking his head. Siltran glanced at Tribilin angrily, but said nothing.

"Well, we really need to focus around one specific area of ideas if we're going to do this right. We need to think of both conventional and non-conventional methods to turning this situation around. Obviously, we can't try to get people to go through there- the last trip was a disaster. Like Siltran said, some form of trade seems like the only likely plan to work- but how? We..." Darius picked off.

Suddenly, Tribilin smirked, an idea forming in his head, and he started laughing maniacally, his grin only growing more bloodthirsty. Everyone else stared at him strangely.

"What's so funny?" Valvus asked with irritance.

Tribilin stopped laughing, but kept the smirk up. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked! You see, I just came up with the most genius plan! We'll..."

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_Two days later, Inost..._

Alex was sitting in the mess hall of Inost's military base, eating a meal of fresh meat and some bread, sitting with Kanonno, who was eating pork. The activity in the room was subdued today, as right after breakfast there would be a strategy meeting regarding their next battle. According to Kratos, the next battle would be like none before it, though he hadn't specified the details. Sighing, Alex took a sip of his coffee, and glanced at Kanonno.

"Hey, Kanonno, do you know what it is that makes this battle so different from every other battle we've had? I mean, Kratos was talking about it like it was a really big deal and everything." Alex asked.

Kanonno frowned, thinking hard. "Hmm...I really don't know. Even as a general, I rarely went to the Northern Icelands. However, I know that the next destination is most likely Fort Vaia. In the past, aside from military use, it has served as a checkpoint for travelers between Inost and the city of Henos. I...I don't really know that much about it apart from that, however."

"I see. Well, don't worry about it. I'm sure that we'll learn more at the strategy meeting. Still...we need to plan ahead a bit. If what you interpreted from the Descender tablet is correct, then the second artifact is located in the Retzam Icecap. We need to get a ship to get there, but it will be difficult to navigate the waters, right?" Alex replied, looking concerned.

Kanonno nodded. "Yeah. You can't get to the Icecap unless you have an icebreaker ship, the only type of ship capable of getting through the frozen water. Also, you need someone who's very familiar with the water and knows how to get through them. That, and we need to be _very _well prepared. The trip could take weeks for all we know, and we'll be headed to the coldest location on all of Pasca. I would also recommend we bring a few of our friends with us. Some of them could be useful in traversing the landscape. However, bringing too many is a bad idea, because we need to limit our supplies..."

"We have vacuum-space spheres, remember?" Alex bluntly remarked.

Blushing in embarrassment, Kanonno continued. "Oh...right, but we should still limit the amount of people we'll be bringing with us so that we can still travel fast. In a small group, we can still cover a good amount of time. We should be able to make it back here in time as we regroup to attack the western side of Pasca. That's pretty much all we need."

Alex stared at Kanonno with an amazed expression. "Wow...I'm impressed, Kanonno. You sure put a lot of thought into this. All that planning, and you covered it in under a minute. I don't think I could have done that."

"Well, you know, I've always had to think ahead all of the time. I...I don't like talking about this, but when I...killed everyone in Pasca, I always planned my attacks out. I had to account for everything, you see, as it was one against millions." Kanonno grimly replied.

Alex shook his head. "Now's not the time to be thinking about that. Still, being able to plan ahead for weeks is an impressive skill. You really have what it takes to be a general, Kanonno...I don't deserve this position. Really, I only have this position in name only."

Kanonno looked a bit surprised. "Really? But I've seen you give orders out on the battlefield at times, so that isn't general in name only. What about your paperwork and reviewing of your units?"

"See, that's where my rank deviates. My paperwork has been divided up between Kratos, Jade, and Eugene. As for reviewing of the units, I'm more or less just a sub unit of Jade's, so he deals with that as well. The only reason I was made a general in the first place was because the Terresian governments were just interested in seeing what I could do with my powers." Alex answered, sighing.

A sad look filled Kanonno's look upon hearing this. "Oh...I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't know about that. I just assumed that..."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Kanonno. I am well aware of my role in all of this. They were right in..." Alex started.

Just then, Kratos rang a bell, and everyone looked up. "Attention soldiers! Breakfast is over for now! Come to the meeting hall for the strategy plan, and be there in five minutes! That is all. Dismissed!"

Alex got up from the bench, Kanonno doing the same. "Well then, let's go."

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_Ten minutes later, meeting hall..._

The UFTW soldiers stationed in Inost were all standing in the military base's meeting hall, all silent in anticipation. As usual, Kratos, Jade, Eugene, and Jay were standing at the front, a board right in front of them. Alex and Kanonno were in front of most of the other soldiers, glancing at the board silently. Finally, Kratos stepped forward, holding a pointer.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin the meeting. Our next battle will be at Fort Vaia, a fort located approximately one day from here. Scouts have scanned the area, and have shown us their results." Kratos began.

Jay unfolded a scroll with a drawing of a fort on it, and Eugene held it up, taking over Kratos' place. "This is a sketch of the fort. According to the sketch, the fort is incredibly well defended. Its solid rock walls stretch over 200 feet, there are catapults posted all over the walls, archers from every possible location, and a gate made out of high quality steel."

Jade then stepped forward. "Therefore, we have concluded a frontal attack on the base is near-suicidal. Siege tactics aren't going to win us this one. Arcos Castle in Granvoise might as well have been a pebble compared to this. We can't win the battle by these means."

Kratos began speaking. "After some deliberation, we have finally come up with a tactic of our own. It will take a while, probably until the end of the month, but if it works, we can take the fort without losing a single man. We will head towards the fort. When we approach it, we will separate into four groups. My unit and General Pozkin's unit will surround the northeast corner of the fort. General Curtiss and General Halvun's unit will surround the northwest corner of the fort. General Gallardo and General Azgant's unit will surround the southeast corner of the fort. Finally, General Terresca and General Earhart's unit will take the southwest corner of the fort."

"All together, our combined units should form a complete circle outside of the castle. We will then camp out there and wait. Now, we will be watching our surroundings at all times. According to this city's shipping records, the cities around the fort go once a month to restock the fort. The last shipment was four weeks ago, and is scheduled to leave in three days. Therefore, the fort is expecting another shipment soon."

"If we see a caravan or anything approaching the fort, we will either capture them or kill them, depending on their response. If we keep this up, the fort will start to run low on supplies. Eventually, the enemy will begin to go hungry and thirsty. Finally, the effects will be so bad that the fort will surrender themselves to us, winning us the fort. That's the plan."

Alex gasped in shock, an uneasy look filling his face, as Jade spoke again. "Due to the nature of this operation, you will all be wearing heavy winter coats so that you don't die from the freezing cold. The horses will have to be left behind here, as there is little hope of them surviving the cold for however many days the operation will take. Don't worry about food, as we'll take care of all of that. That is all. Deployment for the operation will be at 0600 hours tomorrow. Dismissed."

The soldiers saluted, and then proceeded to head out the doors of the meeting hall. Alex stood there for a few more seconds, still looking shocked. Kanonno looked at Alex with worry, turning towards him.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Kanonno asked.

"Cruel...this operation is way too cruel. Starving these people...it's terrifying to think about. I wish there was another way to do this! Maybe if I used..." Alex started.

"We are _not_ using your destructive power." A voice rang out. Alex and Kanonno jumped in surprise, and saw Kratos standing there, hand on the hilt of his sword.

Alex reeled from the surprise for a second before replying. "Wh...why not? Back at Castle Arcos, I managed to win the battle for us by using my power to destroy the main tower! Why can't I do the same now?"

"It is exactly because of that incident that you can't do the same thing. You passed out for three days straight when you used your power against Castle Arcos. Besides, thinking about it, destroying their gates would make things much worse. We didn't mention this in the meeting, but Fort Vaia has over twice the amount of soldiers we do. If we set them loose, they could defeat us. Therefore, you are not to use your destructive power." Kratos answered.

Alex glared at Kratos. "That was in the past! I'm much more powerful now! I could handle the fort without any pro..."

"Perhaps I was not clear enough. This is not a request, it's an _order_. Understood, General Terresca?" Kratos coldly replied.

Alex froze for a second, and then glanced at ground resentfully. "...Understood, General Aurion."

"Good. Well then, that's all. Get your stuff ready for tomorrow." Kratos concluded. He saluted, then turned around, leaving the room. Alex continued to glare with resent, but then Kanonno grabbed his arm. He looked at her with surprise, then allowed himself a sad smile as he headed for the door...

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_The city of Sigmoid, located in the southern part of Scollance..._

Nomvar Similob was sitting inside of a large room inside of the Sigmoid military base going over papers related to the Green Blades' recent activities that were not military related. Senza sat next to him, also reviewing similar papers. Many other members of the Green Blades were also standing in the room, most of them just chatting with each other.

Nomvar smiled. He had always liked working in this type of atmosphere. Over the past few years of working with his men, he had come to think of them as his own family. Having stayed with mostly the same unit had only increased his feelings, as they felt like the perfect for his own family.

_My own family..._Nomvar scoffed. He had hated his actual family. His father had always been gone from the house, always out working, drinking, or gambling. His mother had died when he was young, leading to his father's depression. His older brother had done his best to keep the family together, but he had been killed in combat 12 years ago, leaving Nomvar alone. As a result, Nomvar had become withdrawn from people, having complentated suicide several times.

It was Valvus and Senza who had changed him for the better. When he had joined Valvus' unit, still complentating suicide, Valvus had recognized Nomvar's suffering, and went out of his way to talk to him. It took several months, but Valvus finally broke through Nomvar's shell, a tearful confrontation being the key. Nomvar's depression ended, and he started opening to his comrades, becoming a more sociable person. Nomvar hated to admit it in the situation he was in now, but he respected Valvus greatly, as he owed him his life.

And Senza...Nomvar sighed. She had been there for him while he was stressed under his duties as a colonel. He had first met her at a celebration party of Valvus' successful coup d'état, hosted by his supporters. She was the daughter of a noble who had passed away several years back. Her brother Andar was the current head of the noble family, being two years her senior. He had just been walking around, talking with other high ranking military officials, when he had spotted her walking around the room immediately.

Captivated by her beauty, Nomvar had excused himself, and walked over to her. The two of them had struck up a conversation, and before he knew it, the two of them were sitting a table, telling each other about themselves. Nomvar was amazed at how she was so similar to him, yet so different from him in many ways. The two then continued meeting each other for several months, until the fateful day he finally mustered the courage to ask her to marry her.

While she wanted to accept his proposal, there was only one problem standing in their way: her brother. Andar, while having supported Valvus' revolution, was still very conservative when it came to customs. He believed that traditions must be upheld, and that Senza, a noble, should not be allowed to marry Nomvar, a commoner. Nomvar cringed, remembering the day that had sealed it all.

After many arguments with Andar, Senza just couldn't take it anymore, and told Andar if she would not allow him to marry Nomvar, then she would disown herself from the family and marry him anyway. Shocked, Andar thought the decision over until he finally decided that he would disown Senza and strip her of all her inheritance. Nomvar tried to talk her out of it, but Senza said that nobility and wealth didn't matter to her if she couldn't marry him.

Suddenly, a Green Blades member ran up to Nomvar, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Commander Nomvar! The strategy meeting is about to start! General Yaciel asked me to fetch the rest of us!"

Shaking his head a little, Nomvar nodded. "Alright. I'll get everyone down there now. Dismissed."

The Green Blade member nodded, and ran off, headed downstairs. Nomvar then rose up, gathered the papers, and filed them away into a folder. Senza did likewise, and stood next to Nomvar. As they began walking, they talked to each other.

"I would assume we'll be attacking Grissiol next, correct?" Senza remarked.

"Most likely. It's the closest location to Sigmoid, plus the route to the western side of Scollance is particularly hard to cross in the winter, meaning that we won't be going through there unless we get word that General Aurion's unit has conquered the Northern Icelands. Considering the region, however, I doubt that they will be done there any time soon." Nomvar replied.

Senza sighed. "Yes, you're probably right. Still, we really could use their help now. Tribilin's forces have been giving us a hard time around here lately. We've been winning battles recently, but casualties have been much higher than they were back in the Granvoise campaign."

Nomvar nodded. "Still, it can't be helped. It's not like we can just wish for Tribilin to stop fighting. He's the kind of man who is just there to kill, a man who will keep fighting for the rest of his life. A disgusting kind of man to society, but to a military leader, he's the perfect kind of soldier. Valvus knows this, and despite any differences they may have, he knows he can't give up such a man."

Senza's face grew a bit sad. "Valvus...yes, that would be just like him. Never giving up on the fight, always striving to last as long as possible. Someone who's been fighting for most of his life can't just let go of it. I wonder what it would have been like for Valvus if he had..."

"Hmm? What was that, Senza?" Nomvar asked, not hearing her that well.

Senza shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's keep on going to the meeting."

Nomvar nodded, and the two moved on to the meeting hall...

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_Two days later, outside of Fort Vaia..._

Alex was standing outside of the treacherous looking fort, guiding soldiers as they set up the heavy tents made especially for the winter. Shivering a bit, Alex tried to stay warm as he fastened the coat he was wearing around himself. He looked up again at the fort, and noticed soldiers watching them. Alex frowned a bit as he saw one soldier looking directly at him, and gave him an "I'm sorry" look in response. Quickly turning back to his men, Alex guided the last of his men to put up the final tents. As they did, he took a deep breath, and went over to them.

"All right, good job men! You can all take a break now! Lunch will be prepared in two hours! From now on, you all are expected to keep a good eye on your surroundings until they surrender! That is all! Dismissed!" Alex exclaimed.

The soldiers all saluted in response, and left to take their break. Alex sighed, and decided to head over to his tent when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he smiled upon seeing Kanonno was behind him. She too, was wearing her coat over her armor, her breath visible in the cold weather.

"Hi Alex! I just finished setting up all of the tents for my unit! You?" Kanonno cheerfully asked.

"Well, what a coincidence! I finished up just now as well." Alex answered.

Kanonno nodded enthusiastically. "Good! Would it be ok if I joined you in your tent? My second-in-command told me to do whatever I wanted and that he'd take over my duties for a while. Is that alright?"

"Of course! It'd be good for the two of us to have a long talk. By all means, come on with me!" Alex replied, his smile wide. _The two of us are trying not to think about what we're doing. As long as the two of us can talk for this mission...maybe things won't be so bad after all..._

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_Around the same time, Grissiol..._

A battle had broken out between the UFTW and the Pascan forces at Grissiol. The UFTW had just breached the gate, though they had incurred a good loss of forces. Nomvar was riding forward, directing the Green Blades and giving them orders. When he had finished, he turned his attention to several archers ahead of him. He quickly drew his bow, and launched an arrow right at one of the archers, sending him flying back several feet. Readying the next arrow, Nomvar fired again, but grunted as a sudden gust of wind caused his shot to miss the next archer.

Senza approached the city as well from the side entrance while General Yaciel watched from his post in the back lines. She managed to evade the rain of arrows swiftly, but was shocked to notice her fellow comrades being killed from one hit virtually anywhere from the arrows. Surprised, she managed to pick an arrow off a dead soldier, and examined it over, looking at it in surprise.

_The arrow...the head is made from steel! Up until now, the arrows used by the Pascan military have been made of iron. This must mean that the Pascan military's finally upgraded their arrows to defeat our armor. Damn...we must be careful from now on, or one hit from these arrows will kill us no matter where we're hit!_

Narrowly avoiding several other arrows, Senza managed to evade them and broke straight through the gates into the main area of battle. She then raised her twin swords and struck at the soldiers from two directions at once. As she struck down several more soldiers, she noticed a large regiment of Pascans headed through the southwest section of town. Curious, she raised her armor and ordered her unit to pursue the regiment. Charging forward, she dodged another arrow, impaling a soldier through one chest, then focusing her attention to the right side as she slashed another soldier down.

Nomvar then changed his attention to the from his location, where he saw an enemy colonel running around the top of the walls of town, shouting orders to his men. Preparing an arrow, Nomvar was about to fire when he saw an enemy headed towards him on horseback, sword ready to strike. Thinking fast, Nomvar put down the arrow and quickly drew one of his knives, cutting the swordsman's neck. By the time he looked up, the colonel had disappeared back to the safety of behind the walls.

Cursing, Nomvar then shouted orders to his men, dividing them up. Soon, explosions rang out through the plaza as the mages of both sides began to rapidly cast spells. Steering his horse to avoid them, Nomvar raised his bow and shot down another soldier. Checking his quiver, he realized he was coming up short on arrows, and got out his knives. As the Pascan soldiers started retreating farther back as new ones came in, Nomvar realized something was odd.

_Strange. The Pascans are usually more aggressive than this in their offense. It seems a little...weaker than usual today. Wait...could it be that Tribilin isn't leading this battle? If so, then where is he? He would never..._

An enemy archer then fired his arrow at Nomvar, which hit his horse head on. He gasped as he was thrown from its reigns, falling straight towards the ground. He got up as fast as he could, only to see several soldiers running in for the kill. Just then, a small unit of Green Blade members dash in to protect him. Preparing his knives again, Nomvar ran towards where his men were fighting, and started slashing wildly, trying to hit as many as he could. Noticing Senza's unit going towards the west, just past him. Confused, he quickly followed in pursuit, dodging the rain of arrows and collecting the ones that missed...

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_Several hours later..._

Nomvar stood at the front of the military base in Grissiol, standing over the battlefield, which now was still as the surrendered Pascans marched slowly over to the base while the victorious UFTW lead them down. Looking at the battlefield, a frown grew on Nomvar's face as he saw the severe amount of casualties incurred by the UFTW and the Green Blades. Over half of the UFTW and Green Blade members who had participated in the battle had been killed. As Senza passed by Nomvar, the two of the shared moments of silence as they eventually held each other's hand.

"This battle...this has been one of the worst we've seen so far." Nomvar finally commented.

Senza nodded. "When we reach Koras, it's only going to get worse. The resistance there will be greater than the one experienced there. And I don't think Tribilin is going to miss out on that one either. Things are only going to get worse from now on."

"..." Nomvar found himself unable to respond to that one, the bells of a church chiming in the background....

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_Two days later, the Tower of Salvation, located on the world Tethe'alla..._

Mithos sighed. He had been doing a lot of that lately. He was currently in a large room in the Tower of Salvation, observing from above as his angels worked on pieces of armor for the Pascan military. The room was, simply put, massive, almost as big as a factory. Large pieces of metal were going down a long conveyor, stretching all the way to the end of the room. Angels were posted at every part of the conveyor belts, working nonstop and unfaltering, like robots. At the end of the room was the blue portal that connected the Tower with Vascallus, the industrial city located in Pasca.

Suddenly, two figures emerged from the portal, as Mithos quickly turned towards them. On the left was Tribilin, who was smirking as widely as always, holding something in his hands. To the right was a man that Mithos had never seen before. The man was young, probably in his late twenties, and of short stature, about five feet tall. He had short red hair cut in a military style, and had grey eyes. He was wearing the standard Pascan armor, but with a customized green mark on the shoulder.

Mithos gritted his teeth, slowly floating over towards Tribilin and the man, whom he noticed was carrying a sphere in his left hand. Finally, Mithos reached the two, frowning. "What the hell do you want?"

Tribilin smirked, holding up the remote. "Ah, ah, be careful what you say. Remember, one wrong word, and we could ruin 4000 years of work for you. Besides, I'm not here to harass you or anything...well, you could say I am. But you'll soon find that you'll be glad that I came."

Mithos chose to ignore Tribilin. "I'll repeat my question: what do you want?"

"I'm here for two reasons. On official reasons, there's some magitechnology I need from you. We're planning something in our campaign, and we're going to need some of your technology in order to initiate it. Will you be willing to comply?" Tribilin asked slyly, stretching out a bit.

"Do you even need to bother asking the last part of the question? It's not as if I have a choice." Mithos distastefully replied.

"Ah, you've caught on quickly after all these months! I must say, I'm _very_ impressed with you, Mithos." Tribilin answered.

Mithos frowned again. "Fine. I'm going to need you to tell me what you need for whatever it is you're planning."

Tribilin shook his head. "Hold on, I'm not done with the second reason I've come here. The second reason is unofficial, and it's a personal reason."

Mithos looked up a bit, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

Tribilin became serious. "Let me ask you a question, Mithos. You hate Valvus, right? No...that was a stupid question. Of course you do. Then I believe, Mithos, the two of us share a mutual hatred. Now it's time for the second question: how would you like to permanently be free from Valvus forever?"

Mithos now looked up, fully interested. "...Tell me more. What do you have in mind?"

"Of course I'll tell you more. But I'm going to need your word that I have your full cooperation with my actions. That means you have to follow my instructions to the word, and never question my orders. But rest assured, the payoff will be well worth it. What do you say?" Tribilin asked.

Mithos nodded. "...All right. I swear to follow your orders to the word and to never question them."

Tribilin smiled. "Good then. Now, allow me to tell you my plan..."

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_Hours later, outside of Fort Vaia..._

Alex was sitting inside his tent, sighing as he took a sip of his coffee. Yesterday, both the west and east sides of the blockade had both captured supply caravans headed for Fort Vaia. He had visited the tent where the caravan leader was being kept, but going there had only made him feel worse. The caravan driver was desperate to leave the caravan and go back to his family in his hometown. Unable to hear any more, Alex had left the tent and returned to his own.

Suddenly, Kanonno's voice called out. "Alex? Are you in there? If yes, can I come in?"

Alex smiled a little bit, feeling a bit better. "Sure, come in."

The folds pushed aside, and Kanonno came in. Returning Alex's smile, she walked over and sat down right next to Alex. He offered his coffee, and she nodded, taking the cup and taking a sip.

After finishing, Kanonno looked at Alex. "How are you doing right now?"

Alex sighed, leaning back a bit. "Fine. I haven't really been doing all that much lately. Just the routine checkup of my unit and the reviewing of rations that we have left. However...I feel something has been wrong with me lately."

"Huh? What's wrong?" Kanonno asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I think...I think that I've somehow grown weaker recently. I've been having a hard time cutting through my targets in battle than I have in the past. Not only that, but I've noted that my swing has been feeling so light recently...and I can't damage armor the way I used to. Maybe the Descender artifacts are draining my strength somehow." Alex explained, sighing.

Kanonno paused for a minute, then her head bolted up. "Alex, let me see your sword."

"Huh? Ok, sure." Alex replied. He removed his scabbard from his waist, and handed it to Kanonno. Kanonno drew his sword out, and looked it over. She shook her head slowly as she examined every inch of it.

"Alex...you're not getting weaker." Kanonno merely replied, sighing to herself.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, confused.

Kanonno lifted Alex's sword, and showed it to him. "Your sword is in _really _poor shape right now! There are scratches all over it, the tip is getting dull, and the quality of the metal has really weakened! When was the last time you did any maintenance on this thing?!"

Alex moved a little back, somewhat scared of Kanonno's outburst. "Erm...maintenance?"

Kanonno smacked herself in the head. "Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me. Alex, all weapons and armor require maintenance frequently, or else they'll break. You need to look for scratches on the blade, test the strength of the blade, and check the quality. Seriously, Alex, if you hadn't brought this up with me, this blade could have broken anytime! Your armor is probably messed up as well! I don't mean to sound too harsh, Alex...but this was just plain _stupid_ on your part!"

"Kanonno...I...I'm sorry. If I hadn't known, I could have died next time I went into battle." Alex replied, looking ashamed of himself.

"...Well, as long as you've realized your mistake, I forgive you. But you need maintenance done on your equipment immediately. You can do metalwork, right?" Kanonno asked.

Alex shook his head. "Well, not really. Sure, I'm pretty good at crafting things out of metal, but I know nothing about maintenance. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

A small smile appeared on Kanonno's face. "Well then, leave it to me. In my past two years fighting in the Pascan military, I've become very good at metal repair work. I do maintenance on my own equipment about once a month, and I've even done some non-war related repair work in my free time. Once we get the fort, I'll get right to work to repairing your equipment."

"Thanks, Kanonno. So then, how are things going on your end?" Alex asked, his face slipping to a somber one.

Kanonno frowned sadly. "...Not much has changed, really. The southwest side doesn't exactly seem to be the ideal location to wait for caravans, but it can't be helped, I guess. We need the complete blockade, or one caravan could slip by and we'd have to wait even longer. Still, I wonder what's going on inside the fort right now...they must have started running low on supplies."

"True. But...if they know we're blockading them...just how bad will things get inside there when they've almost run out of supplies?" Alex asked, though he really dreaded the result.

Kanonno glanced at the ground. "...I won't mince words. Things will really get ugly. I've read about past blockading incidents, and things have gotten really bad. For example, in one of the many wars in the last century, there was one time where Granvoise's military blockaded the city of Helmos from the sea and land. The result was horrible...they remained there for about two months. The people of the city were so desperate for food, they started eating rats and drinking their blood as a way to survive. Nothing was ever proven, but there were rumors that there was some cannibalism going on behind the scenes."

Shaking her head, Kanonno continued. "With a fort like this, the situation will be worse for the soldiers inside. Unlike Helmos, the temperature up here is too low to support life for rats, so they don't have the option of eating those. I fear that maybe the soldiers will start eating their own horses. Not that the horses are really helpful out here. But still...no blockade has ever ended clean for the losing side."

Alex also glanced downwards. "How cruel...This whole mission makes me sick to my stomach. Seeing everything that has happened so far makes me wonder something. Why? Why is it that the people of Pasca are willing to go through another war?! They've suffered so much because of warfare and the competition for mana in the last century, and just when everything looks like it could finally end, Valvus comes along, makes his empire, and had to go through his foolish plan! How can these soldiers still fight after this horrible history before them?! Why couldn't...why couldn't they just surrender? None of this makes sense!"

"...Determination." Kanonno finally replied.

"Huh? What do you mean, Kanonno?" Alex asked.

"It's their determination. The will to protect what is dear to them. Like it or not Alex, the fact is that we are the invaders of this war. Just because they provoked Terresia doesn't change that fact. They are simply guarding their homes, their family, and everything else they love. When an animal's territory is invaded, that animal will fight to death until the trespasser has been driven away or killed. If that animal is killed, another one will fight in its place. Pasca is the animal. A bloody history doesn't matter to them. This is the first time that they've been attacked by someone other than their own. That only increased their determination."

"None of them care if they have to die for the cause. We are the enemy, and it as simple as that. Valvus may have done and is doing terrible things, but he has accomplished one good deed through his takeover: unity. With that unity, all of Pasca actually trusts each other for once. This unity is what makes Pasca so strong now. They all believe if we can be driven away, they will finally be able to rest in peace after this constant warfare."

"But we're missing the main point: what is it that they are so determined to protect? There are some like Tribilin, who only wish to fight just to kill. There are some who have families...siblings, parents, wives, and children...all of them they wish to create a better future for. And also...there are those who wish for death. Those who have lost all will to live, who feel they are too strong to kill themselves, and are searching the battlefields for the one who can end their suffering. Just like...nevermind."

"Most importantly, these causes still all lie back to the main root of their reason: determination. As long as they have that, Pasca will never give up. They all share each other's determination, and use it as strength. It's all they can think about to keep on going. And _that _is why Pasca fights." Kanonno finished, looking sadly towards the folds of the tent.

"..." Alex was shocked, unable to find himself unable to reply to Kanonno's speech...

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_Same time, Tethe'alla..._

Tribilin, Mithos, and the red haired man were sitting in a dark room in the Tower of Salvation, discussing something. Both Tribilin and Mithos had wide, gleeful eyes, several pieces of paper in front of them, while the red haired man nodded to whatever Tribilin said, eyes never leaving him.

"Well, that's all I've got to say. What do you think, Mithos? Do we have a deal?" Tribilin asked, putting another piece of paper down.

"Impressive. With this plan, I could kill two birds with one stone...and I've seen that you want the benefit from it as well. Your demands, while very high valued, could be accomplished in about three months with the magitechnology I possess. And I will make sure the Derris Emblem seal is placed around the perimeter of the island. Only the angels will be able to pass, and you will as well once I give you something called the Derris Emblem. Very well, we have a deal." Mithos replied.

Tribilin nodded, grinning to himself. "Good! I'm glad we've come to such an understanding, Mithos! You won't regret this!" _Of course, you'll be dead when this is all over, so enjoy this for now._

Mithos nodded back. "Alright then. I will send a group of angels with you to help get the preparations ready. They will all possess the magitechnology needed for the island. I will also give you a communication device that will allow you to talk with the leader of this angel group no matter where you are. By the way...I didn't ask earlier because I didn't want to blow your cover, but...are you sure this conversation is being watched?"

"Don't worry about a thing. I specifically timed my visit to you to coincide with a meeting Valvus is having right now. By the time he's come to check on me, I'll already be out of here and have the magitech I need for my official business." Tribilin explained.

"Good. Well then, this conversation is over, I guess. I'll get the magitechnology and the angel unit ready for you. Wait out in the factory." Mithos replied.

Tribilin nodded. "Alright then. Giza! We're going!"

The red-haired man, named Giza, enthusiastically saluted. "Yes, Tri...I mean, General Hemoses!"

With that, the two of them left the room, leaving Mithos alone to look over the papers one last time...

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_Strange realm..._

Prophet was floating in his dimension, and had been watching Tribilin and Mithos' conference just now. He frowned to himself, the two spirits inside him having a conversation with each other.

"_This is not good._" The high-pitched voice commented.

"_For once, we agree on something. This plan of theirs will only make things even more complicated than they are. With someone like Tribilin initiating this plan, things will turn out badly for the UFTW. There will be so much force that the UFTW will lose the war if the plan succeeds. We'll need to stop it as soon as possible._" The deep voice agreed.

"_Wow...can't believe that you actually agreed with me. Still, you're right, but...we can't, remember? If we go _that _far, before we would be able to tell them, we would disappear. The Soul gave us specific instructions that because of the Ruins of Jezid's power, doing so would make things worse for them._" The high-pitched voice added.

"_Grr...damn it. Maybe we should let Tribilin go through his plan? What's wrong with that? While I did say it would hamper the UFTW, if they're fast enough, maybe it will just make things easier for them." _The deep voice said.

"_No! We can't let that happen! The ramifications of what would happen would be so devastating that Pasca would never recover! There's too many at risk here that don't deserve it! Tribilin's goal is just sick! What are you thinking! And I was starting to think maybe you were slowly letting go of..._" The high-pitched voice exclaimed.

"_What, you seriously believed all of this would change me? I didn't think you were that dense. While the result would not have been what I had hoped, I have no regrets about it at all. I would repeat the same moves over and over again if I were given the chance. Well?" _The deep voice mocked.

"_...You're just as bad as Mithos._" The high-pitched voice commented, returning to the recess of his mind...

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_Several weeks later, on Sige (A/N: The Pascan equivalent of February) 1st..._

The military was still camped outside of Fort Vaia, still waiting in on the fort's surrender. Alex and Kanonno were walking together on the outside of the fort, having finished breakfast a little while ago. Suddenly, a bell started ringing several times from the fort, catching the entire perimeter.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

Kanonno thought for a second, then gasped when the bell rang for the last time. "An eight bell ring...could it be?"

Alex looked up at the fort, and saw something rising from the fort's outer tower. Seconds later, the object became visible, and everyone gasped when the saw the object.

A white flag.

Quickly, Alex and Kanonno started running towards the gate, as they saw the gate start to grind open. As they ran, they saw Kratos, Eugene, Jade, General Halvun, and the other generals headed towards it. A general on a horse suddenly rode out of fort, and stopped in the front of the perimeter. Kratos came up to him first, and the general started talking to him. By the time they had reached them, they had finished the conversation, and the general rode back to the base.

"Huff...huff...huff...Ge...General Kr...Kratos...huff...what did...he...say..?" Alex asked, gasping for breath.

Kratos turned to face him. "Well, the full details haven't been worked out yet, but Fort Vaia has officially surrendered to us. We're going in. We're leaving the perimeter on the outside in case this is a trap."

"So then, we're going in to negotiate right now?" Kanonno asked.

"That's right. One of the conditions will definitely be the immediate restock of Fort Vaia and the feeding of their starving soldiers. The rest, however, is unsure. We can't wait any longer. Let's go." Kratos replied, the rest of the generals having caught up.

Nodding, they all headed towards the gate, looking around to make sure this wasn't a trap. As they got closer and closer, Alex could smell something rotten coming from the fort. Finally, when they passed the gate, most of the generals gasped at the sight in front of them.

"My God..." General Halvun commented. Alex could only nod as his eyes were wide, scanning the scene around him.

Thousands of soldiers were standing inside the grounds of the fort. Their eyes were searching, their faces pale, and their figures gaunt. Many of them were gripping their stomach, loud roars heard from all of them. They had gotten so thin that their armor was starting to get too big for them.

Dead bodies were lying all over the ground, naked, their armor taken after their deaths. However, many bodies had chunks of flesh ripped of their bodies in various places, and each was so thin that their rib cages were visible. Dead animals also lay in the courtyard, from horses to chicken. They too, were missing parts of their flesh.

Just then, one of the soldiers cried out, and fell to the ground. Seconds later, he was motionless. As if on cue, all of the soldiers ran over to the soldier, quickly ripped his armor off, and started eating off his body, the blood leaking on the ground. Kanonno forced herself to look away from this horrible scene, and Alex did what many would do at such a sight.

He vomited.

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**So there you have it. That may have looked cruel at the end of the chapter, but in fact, many sieges on castles actually consisted of the enemy army surrounding the castle and starving the others out. I wanted to try something a bit more realistic for military strategy in this chapter, so I did this (the strategy was mainly based of the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War, but I shortened the amount of time it took for story reasons). I understand this chapter mainly had a lot of plot development rather than action, but for those of you who like action, don't worry. The next chapter is a big action chapter, and will be the climax of the Northern Icelands mini-arc.**

**Anyway, I'm really sorry that this chapter is late, but like I mentioned in the last chapter, there's a lot going on in school and life right now, and I need to balance everything accordingly. Plus, I got Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World recently, and spent a lot of time playing that (I just beat it yesterday. Not as good as the first one, but still a good game).**

**Well, there you have it. Read and Review!**


	36. Chapter 35: Two Cities, Two Generals

**Good day to all of you! Your devoted author, Final Poke Mario Fan has come out with a new chapter! Why are you even reading this anyway? Just go ahead and read the chapter!**

**WARNING: This chapter is HUGE. You may want to read it slowly in order to get everything down right.**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OC's and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2: Trials of Life

Chapter 35: Two Cities, Two Generals, Two Deaths

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_Fort Vaia, three days after they surrendered from the starvation tactic..._

Alex stood on the edge of the walls of the snow covered fort, musing about the last few days. After they had gone with the general to negotiate surrender terms, they had finally gotten into an agreement. The UFTW, in exchange for the fort and all its armaments, would supply the soldiers of the fort with food and water, and would let the caravan traders go once they had completed their delivery. Alex had readily agreed, having witnessed the suffering of the soldiers in the fort firsthand and wanted to end their suffering immediately. In the following days, they had managed to feed all of the Pascan forces, and then had imprisioned them, sending them off to prisons in the fort itself, Inost, and Frean.

Alex turned around, and watched as several soldiers moved a cart with weapons in it down to a part of the fort. The UFTW was getting ready for their big assault on Henos, the city with the largest military influence in the Northern Icelands. According to reports from what they had found in the fort, General Darius was personally commanding the soldiers there. The UFTW had already decided that there were two goals for the battle: conquer Henos, and if possible, kill General Darius. Once they had conquered Henos, a party would then be sent out to destroy the mana plant, putting an end to Pasca's bloody history of competing over these horrible stations.

_General Darius...he's quite the interesting one. The last time we met, he sure was a tough opponent, but I managed to find the weakness of his strategy and exploited it. We also promised to fight each other again...just how much has he improved? Whenever I try talking about him with Kanonno, she always changes the subject, so something must have happened between the two. Yet I can tell Darius is not like Tribilin at all. He isn't interested in fighting just to kill. He seemed to have a greater purpose than that. _

Shaking his head, Alex turned his attention back to the fort, shivering a bit as a strong wind flew by, hugging his coat closer to himself. He didn't have his armor or sword at the moment because Kanonno had been hard at work repairing them from the excessive damage they had taken. Alex sighed, cursing his own carelessness. He had to admit to himself, Kanonno was several things he was not. Optimistic, good with repairing, careful, calm...the list went on. It was almost as if the two of them were like pieces of a missing puzzle that completed each other, almost as if...

_Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why am I thinking like this! We're nothing like this! We're only friends! There's nothing more to us than that! _

Shaking his head, Alex decided waiting outside would do no good, and decided to head back in...

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_Lavard, basement level..._

Valvus was walking around the basement of the castle, observing as his scientists worked around the rooms. Most of them were experimenting with implementing stronger level spells into soldiers. While they had used the Eye of God's power to do so a few months ago, they found that the power was rather limited in mass-production. However, Valvus wasn't interested in any of those things. Passing by several scientists, who saluted, Valvus approached a door labeled **Project Brutcasten: Scientist Level S ONLY: KEEP OUT**.

Valvus opened the door, walking inside. The lead scientist turned to face him, and saluted instantly, nodding. Valvus shut the door behind him, and gazed upon the room. The room was filled with many magitechnology devices, which scientists were examine over. A large terminal was located near the end of the room, various wires hooked up to it.

But what caught Valvus' eye the most was the center of the room. A large blue tube filled with a strange liquid lay standing there, a dim light coming from it. Several strange tubes were inside the tube, though they seemed to have no purpose. One tube reached all the way outside of the tube to another device. Next to this device was a table containing several chemicals and liquids, none of them in use, though they were carefully sealed. Finally, adjacent to the tube was a table with many sheets of paper spread out over it.

"Good morning, Emperor Valvus." The lead scientist greeted.

Valvus nodded. "Likewise. So, this is the magitechnology Tribilin retrieved. Is he still here?"

The lead scientist shook his head. "No, sir. As soon as he dropped off the magitechnology, he left to go on a ship headed back to Scollance. However, as you can see on the table, he left behind all of his notes on the project for us. Due to the nature of this project, we believe that we can't afford to do any pre-testing before we receive the specimens. Of course, sir, if you think differently, we'll..."

"No, it's fine. I trust your judgment. So, Tribilin's left already, huh? Even though he bears the title doctor, the battlefield will always be his place. He'll be fighting in Koras, and he'll enjoy it all right. Our intelligence has discovered that a large amount of the rebel forces will be fighting with the UFTW in the battle. We still don't know who their leader is...I gave Tribilin the right to do whatever torture methods he wanted in order to drag their secrets out in the open." Valvus remarked, taking a seat.

"E...Excuse me, sir, but may I ask of you a question?" The lead scientist asked, lowering his head nervously.

Valvus shifted his gaze over towards him. "What is it?"

"How do you truly feel about this project? While I am very interested in what will be the results of our efforts, the process seems a bit...a bit..." The lead scientist began, but found himself unable to finish.

"Utterly disgusting?" Valvus finished.

"Yes. If it's all for the development of science and assisting you, I'm alright with doing it. However, there's a part of me that just feels sick when I think about it." The lead scientist replied.

Valvus nodded. "I understand your feelings. However, it's as you said: the end results of this project are too good to ignore. If we accomplish our goals here, we may be able to have finally come up with a countermeasure for the Terresian Descender. The Terresian Descender may not have enough power now, but he's getting stronger. If we leave him unattended, he could become quite a problem. If we can create this countermeasure in time, we may be able to defeat him. And that is what I feel justifies this repulsive experiment."

"I see. I am honored by your reassurances. And I will work my hardest to assure that this project is completed." The lead scientist said, nodding.

Valvus picked up the notes, reading them over. "Hmm. I see, by using those two in tandem, we'll be able to select the best of the best, ensuring we get both skills. Clever...by using these formulas together, we'll have no problems with time, and we should be able to suffer from only one-fourth of a time loss rather than the usual one-eighth. Impressive...wait, what are these formulas for?"

"Let me see. Oh, I see. This is a formula for the recycle process. You see, the problem with this experiment is that the first few formulas combined will ensure that our subject will get to the point we desire, but will cause future problems as the subject is active. In order to counter these problems, we will use these formulas in order to recycle the first few formulas over and over again, ensuring they never suffer from these problems. It's still experimental, though, so some adjustments may be necessary." The lead scientist said.

"I see. Very well, then. All we can do now is keep experimenting with the formulas and wait for our true specimens. Time is short...and this project may save us. I will return to observe later, so keep up the good work." Valvus said, leaving the room...

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_Grissiol, two days later..._

General Yaciel, Nomvar, and Senza were sitting in a dark room in the military base at Grissiol, having a drink together. Nomvar had ordered the Green Blades to keep up the preparations for the upcoming assault on Koras, with General Yaciel's men doing the same.

"Good afternoon, you two. If you remember, I asked you a few days ago to send scouts to check out Koras. I've heard that they returned today, so do you have the report?" General Yaciel said, taking a sip.

"Yes, that's correct. It wasn't good news. According to the report, they have over thirty thousand ready for battle, and may be receiving another ten thousand in reinforcements. They've all received the latest in weaponry, meaning they have steel swords, steel tipped arrows, and longbows. However, it doesn't end there. Koras has begun evacuating its citizens, meaning that they could be trying a form of guerilla warfare like they did back in Loret. But that's not the worst part. Tribilin has returned to Koras." Nomvar explained.

General Yaciel grit his teeth. "Tribilin, huh? So he's back. I was hoping that he wouldn't return for the assault, but it's too late to regret it now. We'll have to work our strategy around in order to deal with this development. If possible, I would try to make it work so that killing Tribilin is a priority."

Senza shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "We'll try to see what we can do. However, remember that Tribilin will be a very difficult target." _This is what I don't like about General Yaciel: he may have experience, but he has this arrogant streak about him. If they could, many would take the chance to kill Tribilin. Yet everyone knows that killing Tribilin is nearly impossible. Yaciel, you need to open your eyes._

"Moving back to the battle itself, this is going to be yet another difficult battle. Like Baaz, Koras is built on a hill. Their defenses are not as strong as Besos, but they are still top notch. With the higher ground at their disposal, they can use more creative ways than usual to ensure that we don't get up that hill. Their weapons are stronger than most of ours, so that will be a problem as well." Nomvar said.

"Are there any weaknesses in the structure of the city?' General Yaciel asked.

Nomvar shook his head. "No, not really. The city was built less than fifty years ago, so it's one of the more modern cities. Since it was built during the Pascan wartime era, it was built with defense in mind as well as offense. It's more or less impregnable by regular assault means."

"What about a blockade? Wouldn't that work in such a city? Being built on a hill means they probably get almost everything they own by trade, so if we blockaded them, they would have to give in eventually." General Yaciel said.

"We considered it, but it's impossible. If Koras was being lead by any other general, then it might have worked. But Tribilin would never give in to a blockade. If we tried anything, he would just attack from the city, or he would simply find a way to break the attack." Senza answered, looking over a map of Koras' layout.

Nomvar studied the map, looking over every section carefully. A look of insight came over his face, and he turned to General Yaciel. "I have a plan. Taking Tribilin's personality into account, it may just work."

Interest filled General Yaciel's eyes. "Really? What is it?"

"Look at this..."

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_Henos, same time..._

Darius stood by the walls of the grand city, watching as the last of the civilians left the gates, headed to escape at Depas. Once they were gone, he walked back through the gates, soldiers saluting his entrance. He raised his arm, and the gate began closing behind him, the cold air being sealed off. Once the gates slammed shut, he turned to his men, who awaited his orders. Darius cleared his throat, and began.

"My loyal soldiers! The time of our triumph has arrived! The UFTW will undoubtedly attack us in a matter of days. They have shown no mercy in conquering our neighbors in the Northern Wastelands, and will not grant us this either! They will strike down on us without fear, and they will dye the ground red! That's right; some of us will have to die for this battle. But as long as there is breath in our body, we will not let them take this city! _Our _city! _Our _Pasca! We won't let these invaders gain any more ground! For the sake of all of those who died trying to save our homeland, we will emerge victorious! If they won't give us mercy, neither shall we! We will kill every last one of them!"

The soldiers went into a battle cry, cheering for Darius' speech, chanting over and over again. Valvus raised his arms again, and the entire crowd went silent.

"Now then, here is the battle plan. The UFTW will be attacking from the direction of Fort Vaia, towards the South Gate. We will station, as usual, archers and catapults up on the walls, and fire at them. If they break through the walls, which I'm sure will happen, we will attack them from the ground. Now, we have a priority mission here, to protect the mana plant. Our weapons factory is able to produce as much as it does only because of the plant, and if it's destroyed, we will be at a disadvantage for the rest of the war. The UFTW have many strong warriors on their side, including the Terresian Descender. He is my target, so don't kill him."

Clenching his hand for a few seconds, Darius took a deep breath to calm himself. "Also, there is one more thing. If things get bad, I have permission to use the MPS. While I'm using the MPS, try to flee from here as quickly as possible. I'll stay back here and take care of the UFTW forces while this happens."

A large gasp arose from the men, horrified at his statement. One soldier stepped forward in response to this. "General Izas! That's suicide! Even if you'll be using the MPS, you can't hold back an entire army! I'd rather die than leave you to sacrifice yourself for the rest of us!"

Darius gave a warm, bitter smile. "It's alright. Thousands of lives for the price of one are better than one life for the price of thousands. You are all men with promising futures ahead of you. I no longer possess the vigor of life that you all have. That makes every one of you here a much better person than I could ever hope to be. Now, I'll say this one more time: if I give the signal to retreat, you _will_ run, and you will not wait for me. Understood?"

"....Yes, sir!" Darius' men shouted reluctantly.

"Alright then, gentlemen. Our discussion is over. I'm returning to the military base. Begin the preparations for battle!" Darius said, walking towards the direction of the base. The soldiers quickly scrambled all over the place, readying the city for battle. As Darius continued his march towards the base, he clenched his hand into a fist yet again, struggling to restrain his anger.

_Belladonna...I know you're with them. I know you're with those people, with _him_. Terresian Descender...I may have been easy on you last time, but that was before everything happened! Before you took Belladonna away from me! That is unforgivable! I swear that with the MPS, I will kill you. I will get her back! You will not lay another finger on her! Come, Terresian Descender. Allow yourself to be sacrificed as a testament to the power of the MPS!_

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_Unknown realm..._

Prophet was floating in this realm again, his left arm shaking heavily, his right glowing with red energy. He quickly grabbed his head with his left arm, but his right arm quickly grabbed it, trying to pull it off of him. Inside Prophet, a mental struggle was going on between his two souls.

_How are you doing this! I thought the Soul gave me majority control of this body! Why is it that you have control?_ The high pitched voice said, strained.

_Hmph. Have you forgotten? I am much stronger than you are mentally. I've been gaining power for myself in the past few months secretly. You've been so obsessed worrying over these people that you never noticed it. You see now? All this crap you've been spewing over their power and kindness...it means nothing! _Nothing!_ I've hated this existence ever since the day we were merged! I don't give a damn about what the Soul says or what Valvus' plan is! None of that matters! I hate these people so much! Say now...the Terresian Descender has listened to every piece of advice we have given him. What would happen if we fed him some false information? Doesn't it sound interesting?_ The deep voice taunted.

_NO! NO! STOP IT! DON'T TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BODY! DON'T HURT THEM! STOP!!! _The high pitched voice pleaded.

_Shut up! I don't have time to hear your ranting! Time for you to go away for a while! _The deep voice exclaimed.

_STOP! STOP THIS! W..._ The high pitched voice started, and then faded away. A few seconds later, Prophet's left arm lowered from his head. Behind his mask, he grinned, then disappeared a few seconds later...

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_Fort Vaia, two days before the scheduled attack..._

As always, the UFTW was gathered in the strategy room, all standing and awaiting orders. Kratos, Jay, Jade, and General Halvun stood over in the front of the room on a pedestal, the plans for battle laid out in front of them. The Ad Libitum members were all standing in the front, along with Alex and Kanonno. Kratos then walked forward, and the hall grew silent.

"Alright, the strategy meeting will now commence. First, some information on where we'll be fighting. The battle will take place at the city of Henos, the second biggest city in the Northern Wastelands, and one of the biggest weapons manufacturers in all of Pasca. The reason they're able to produce so much is because of a mana plant that fuels the energy they need for their weapons factories. The city has been evacuated, so there's no need to worry about involving civilians in the fight. Also, we've learned that the battle is being lead by General Darius Izas, one of Valvus' three personal generals." Kratos said.

Kanonno gasped, and then looked down at the ground, a sad look on her face. Chester saw this, and got uncomfortable as well. Before Alex could say a word, Kratos continued.

"Now then, here's the layout of the city. Henos is built on a flat terrain, meaning they have no tactical advantages anywhere. However, they do have large walls and gates, as well as catapults and archers. As per usual, there are four gates; one for every direction. We'll be assaulting the East Gate and South Gate. Our catapult support is severely limited in the snow, so we'd be lucky just to get one there. However, there are ways in which we can still assault their gates." Kratos began.

Jay stepped in at this point. "Our archer units will attack the enemy archers posted on the eastern walls. They have over five thousand soldiers on the walls, larger than your average archer force. We have estimated that there are about 30 thousand soldiers in total in the city. We can't starve them again either, because they will simply attack us if we do so."

"Therefore, we need to attack directly. Their walls are strong, but they are still susceptible to magic. So our mage unit will focus their attacks on the walls while the archer unit attacks. Unfortunately, due to the snow and distance from the city, the heavy armed infantry will be virtually useless in this battle, except for one thing. Their job is to cover the mages while they cast, using a flank formation to guard against the arrows."

"Once the wall is down, our first wave of light armed infantry will charge into the city and attack. The support unit will then follow them and try to cover them while we charge through the city. Since the city has been evacuated, you don't need to worry much about any collateral damage, though it would be helpful if it could be kept to a minimum. Once we get through the main gate, the second and third waves will go in to push them back further."

Jay then pointed back to the map of the city. "Also, there's one more important task we need to take care of during the battle. In the center of the city is what the Pascans call a 'mana plant'. The mana plant is drawing mana from another world in order to fuel the weapons factory located in the city. If we allow this plant to survive, the world it's drawing the mana from will suffer, and if the Pascans win, they'll continue to make abundant amounts of weapons. Therefore, we need to destroy it, which we will do by sending a unit to destroy it from within. Brigadier General Alex Terresca, you will be leading that unit, and you're in charge of destroying the plant."

"Understood." Alex replied. _So I'm to destroy the mana plant. Makes sense, my power probably could destroy it without too many problems._

Jade then took over from there. "Also, we have one more task. Major General Kanonno Earhart, as explained earlier, General Darius is leading the fight. Since you served alongside him for two years, you should know about his fighting style. We think your power may be able to negate his battle style. Therefore, your unit has the task of hunting down Darius, and engaging him. If possible, kill him."

Kanonno gasped upon hearing these orders, and paused for a few seconds. Finally, she lowered her head in reluctance. "...I understand, General Curtiss."

Kratos then returned to the front. "That is all. The operation will commence at 0700 hours in two days. Use this time wisely to prepare for the battle. That is all. Dismissed."

The army gave out a final salute, then left the room, headed to prepare. Both Alex and Kanonno slowly exited the room; contemplating the special orders they had been given. As the left, the rest of Ad Libitum watched them, and then faced each other.

"We can never catch a break, can we?" Reid sighed, stretching his arms.

Raine opened her mouth to reprimand Reid, but changed her mind. "Well, this is our last major battle in the Northern Wastelands. Once this is over, we'll attack Dalas, which shouldn't be too much trouble to take after this. Then, we can head south back to the western side of Scollance."

"But aren't Alex and Kanonno going to the Retzam Icecap after we take Dalas? They've been talking about it for a while now." Colette said.

Senel nodded. "That's true. They heard about my experience with boats, so they asked me if I would accompany them. I agreed, but they're going to need to find a Pascan navigator if they're going to get me there. Plus, we need a mage to mel..."

"Oh, they've asked me to take care of that. I agreed to do it, of course. After all, I'm interested in seeing this place." Genis said, smiling a bit. Raine glared at him, giving him a "we'll talk about this later," look.

Veigue nodded. "They've also asked me to come; since they believe my ability to manipulate ice might be useful in the icecap. Kanonno also believes that I could use my ice power combined with her power in order to create some sort of ice shield against the enemies on the icecap."

"Speaking of Kanonno, did anyone else notice how strange she was acting just now? It just didn't seem like her to get all depressed like that out of the blue." Rutee pointed out.

Stahn scratched his head for a second. "Well, now that you mention it, you're right. It was around the part where they mentioned Darius, right? Maybe it had something to do with her past life in the Pascan military."

"Does any of this really matter right now? You guys are thinking too far ahead right now. What we really need to focus on is the battle in two days. We can discuss things like this after the battle, if we win. Think about what we currently face before we look to the future." Chester said, a small dark edge to his tone.

Surprised to hear Chester talking so seriously, everyone stopped for a second before nodding in agreement. The Ad Libitum members dispersed, headed off to take care of their business...

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_A few minutes later..._

Alex was up in his room in the fort, preparing himself for the battle. He began checking through his vacuum-space sphere, making sure his Gels and belongings were all in order. As he took a deep breath, a familiar flash of white light filled the room again. He turned around, and saw Prophet standing there, arms crossed.

"Prophet! It's been over a month since I last saw you. Why didn't you appear earlier? I actually have a few questions I want to ask you. For instance, I..." Alex started, caught off guard.

Prophet waved his hand. "There will be time for that later. I..._we_ have some important information regarding the upcoming battle in two days. There's a weakness in the Pascan formation that would help you get to the mana plant faster and with much less resistance. That is, if you're interested."

Alex thought something felt odd about Prophet somehow, but shrugged it off. "What are you talking about, Prophet? If it can help me in the battle, then tell me! Your advice has proved very helpful in the past, after all."

"Very well. When you break through the gate, you'll be faced with many soldiers. However, to your right a little bit up, there's a street that's less guarded. Go that way, and go down three blocks. At the third block, you'll see a pathway that cuts diagonally through the buildings. Run through there. Once you've done that, go up a few blocks north, until you can see the top of the mana plant. There will be one more street that you will have to cut through diagonally from there. If you've followed these directions exactly, you should be at the north part of the plant. There are virtually no soldiers here, so it will be a cinch for you to break in through the entrance. By the time the Pascan military has realized what's going on, it'll be too late." Prophet explained.

Alex took every detail into account. "I see...this will be very helpful. Thank you, Prophet. Now then, as for my questions..."

Suddenly, Prophet's left arm started twitching, and he started convulsing. He grunted as he grabbed his left arm, trying to hold it back from doing something. His body started glowing slightly blue, but then turned to red. Alex could only watch in confusion, his mind spinning. Prophet's body then glowed blue. His voice suddenly became completely high pitched.

"Alex, no! This is..." The voice started. His body then turned red again, and with a scream, Prophet completely glowed red. He raised his arm to the wind, and cast Blizzard. As soon as he finished, Prophet disappeared completely, leaving Alex alone. Alex stood still for a minute, unsure of what had just happened...

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_That evening..._

Kratos sat in quarters, reviewing the line outs and units he had chosen for the battle. As he read through one arrangement, he shook his head and crossed something out. A few seconds later, he drew an arrow from one point of the paper to another one. He then wrote something next to the line, and then drew a few more lines. Finally, he wrote a few notes on the side of the page, wrote a new title for the page, then finished. Taking a deep breath, Kratos reached for a cup of wine and took a sip. Suddenly, a blue light appeared in front of him. Gasping, Kratos put the wine down and flipped over his page. Seconds later, Mithos came into view from the blue light.

"Ah, it's good to finally see you again, Kratos. How is the operation going?" Mithos asked, a smile on his face.

"...I'm fighting in Scollance right now. We're about halfway through this continent. If all goes according to schedule, we should be done fighting through in about two months or so. Why have you called for me?" Kratos asked, more composed than last time.

Mithos shook his head. "I came to tell you that the time that we need to execute this operation of ours has expanded greatly. There is a...sympathizer in the Pascan military who has offered to help me in exchange for my assistance for something. With this, we don't have to worry about the Pascans finding out about our plan. When the time comes and he no longer needs my aid, I will strike. Then, with your operation completely, we can finally get back on track with our goal of resurrecting Martel."

"A sympathizer? What was his name?" Kratos said.

"He never told me. However, he has a very high ranking in the Pascan military, and has a dislike of its leaders." Mithos lied. _Sorry, Kratos, but Tribilin told me to never tell anyone, even you, his name._

Kratos glanced at Mithos questioningly, but eventually gave up. "I see. No changes have occurred with the Chosen and her companions. They still haven't regained their memories yet. Is there anything else. Mithos?"

"No, that is all. Continue acting as you are, and keep preparing for the operation. I only hope that it will be soon." Mithos said. The blue light then faded away, leaving Kratos alone once again.

_This is right. I know what I'm doing is right. There's no way to fight against him this time without risk, and this kind of risk is too dangerous to take. If anyone finds out about this, then I have no choice but to silence them..._

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_Two days later..._

(A/N: For the rest of this chapter, the scenes will split the battle of Henos with the battle of Koras. Therefore, there will be a simple line break whenever the scene changes to each battle, and no description of which battle is which, except when I note time skipping around. Just remember that General Yaciel, Nomvar, and Senza are in the Battle of Koras while Alex, Kanonno, General Halvun, and the rest of the Ad Libitum members are in the Battle of Henos. On the Pascan side, remember that Tribilin is leading the Battle of Koras, and Darius is leading the Battle of Henos.

Also, if there is a shift from one side of a single battlefield to another, the side change will be represented by a break that looks like this: ***. That is all)

In Henos, Tribilin stood at the top of the military base, grinning. He licked his lips, and then looked around the city that stood below him. He laughed to himself for a few seconds, and then stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly stretched out his arms, and turned around to see a general waiting.

"What is it?" Tribilin asked.

"Sir! Our scouts have spotted the UFTW army headed towards us! They are headed for the front gate, and have arrived in large numbers. According to the reports, the group is being lead by General Yaciel. Also, a lot of the rebels have joined up with them in this attack! Your orders?" The general reported.

Tribilin smirked once again. "Ah...at last. Very well, then! Prepare battle formations! All soldiers will be posted on the northern wall, while leaving a few in the back. Make sure we have our latest equipment all ready for battle! Prepare the anti-siege catapults, and load the stones into their places! Seal the gates, and double enforce the front gate! Post the heavily armed infantry in front of the gate, and the second set of archers above them! Call the other generals here so that I can relay the message!"

"Yes, sir!" The general replied. He then saluted, and then ran off to convey this message. Tribilin turned back to the horizon, and smirked. Seconds later, the second Silver Knight walked besides him, watching as soldiers began preparing...

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Alex led his men through the snowfields, walking next to General Halvun's unit. Kanonno's unit was in the front, while Kratos' unit was next to her. The Ad Libitum members, unlike most of the battles, had formed their own private unit with Cless as the leader. Sighing, Alex finally turned to General Halvun, who was observing the weather carefully. Deciding to follow suit, he also took in the feel of the weather, noting the wind was slight, blowing south, while the sky was overcast, but not enough for snow. Shaking his head, he turned back to his earlier thoughts.

"What's wrong, General Terresca?" General Halvun said.

Alex looked over towards the giant man. "I was just thinking about the battle. There are so many important details about this battle that it's absolutely vital we win. General Darius, the weapon factory, the mana plant, there's just so much at stake for the Pascans if they lose. Win or lose, this battle is going to be a key turning point in the war, one that I'm worried we can't win."

"I see. You sound worried about your task in the battle, but don't worry. My unit will be supporting yours during the battle. While you're attacking the weaker side of the plant, my unit will be fighting the stronger side, in order to distract the Pascans, giving you the chance to sneak in and destroy the plant." General Halvun said.

"What? But it's dangerous! There's so many Pascans fighting this battle! You and your entire unit could be killed if you do that! This battle is difficult for us already, and I don't want you to risk your life for mine! We may not even win this battle!" Alex replied.

General Halvun paused, and then gave a warm smile to Alex. "It's true that the Pascans have many advantages to them in this battle. You're right to be worried about the outcome. But remember that no matter what happens, we will always be united in our will. The will of the soldiers in Henos is to defend themselves and their homes no matter what, while we have the will to put an end to Valvus' plans, in order to defend all of the worlds. Life and death are very transient concepts, but our will to fight and the bonds we form together can never be broken, even in death. Always remember that, and you'll find that you're not fighting with people whose names you may not even know, but with one combined will against another. That combined will is enough to defeat even the strongest of enemies."

Alex paused for a second, and then returned the smile to the man who was like a father to him. "Thank you, General Halvun."

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General Yaciel and his army stood just yards before the hill that lead up to Koras. Glancing upwards, the units could see thousands of Pascan soldiers up on the walls, weapons at the ready. The two armies exchanged glares, both filled up with the spirit of battle. General Yaciel looked behind him, and saw his archer, mage, and catapult units were just about ready. The sun's position showed that it was still early in the morning, meaning the sun would be in the Pascan's eyes.

"General Yaciel! We're ready to attack!" The leader of the archer unit reported.

General Yaciel nodded. "Alright. ARCHER UNITS, ATTACK! MAGE UNITS, ATTACK!"

The archer and mage units cried out, then started attacking the Pascans, arrows and spells soaring through the air. The Pascans responded with a barrage of their own, firing wildly into the UFTW's unit. Most of their arrows missed, but some managed to strike their targets. The Pascans then started firing their catapults, rocks flying out at random intervals, crushing some of the UFTW.

"Catapult unit is ready!" The catapult leader exclaimed.

"CATAPULTS, FIRE! BE CAREFUL NOT TO SHOOT TOO LOW!" General Yaciel ordered. The catapults began launching, their stones matching the Pascans stones. At this point, it was nearly impossible to see the enemy, the flurry of projectiles too many to make out anything.

_A battle of attrition...we'll only be able to last for so long. Still, we need to wait until noon..._General Yaciel thought.

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At Henos, Darius stood impatiently at the walls, tapping his finger against the stone. Ever since the speech he had made, his thoughts were completely focused on killing Alex and recovering Kanonno. His tapping grew more relentless as the minutes passed, until the point where he was tapping five times per second. A soldier ran up to him, kneeling downwards in his presence.

"Sir! The UFTW is coming! They're just about a mile away from the city!" The soldier reported.

_Finally...Finally!_ "Everyone is still in battle positions, correct?" Darius asked.

"Yes sir! We're ready to defend at any time!" The soldier answered.

Darius smiled. "Good! Keep it up! We'll begin the attack as soon as they're in sight!"

_Come on; come to me, Terresian Descender! Let me have the pleasure of killing you! Soon you'll be dead!_

***

Meanwhile, on the UFTW side, Alex looked up as he saw Henos come into view. He could feel the tension everywhere around him as the battle got closer and closer by the second. He grabbed the hilt of his sword to calm himself. As he took another deep breath, he gasped as he saw arrows flying right towards the army. Raising his shield, he guarded his head as they slammed right against him.

"What the hell!? They started attacking already?" Lloyd grunted, dodging some of the arrows.

General Halvun looked behind him. "It seems that they're starting off aggressive from the start! We need to strike down their gate as soon as possible, or we're never going to gain any ground!"

Kratos stood up, and began delivering orders. "Mage units, change in strategy! Use your strongest wind spells to try to change the course of the arrows! Second mage unit; attack the walls while this is going on! Archer unit, circle over to the south side and try to attack from there!"

The units all complied, and got to work, as a fierce battle began yet again...

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General Yaciel grit his teeth. The situation was taking a turn for the worse. The sun was rising higher, so the UFTW had lost the only real advantage they had against the Pascans. The Pascans' counterattack was getting stronger by the minute, and three of the UFTW's catapults had been destroyed. In contrast, the Pascans had only lost one, which was only due to a lucky strike by a mage's spell. No progress had been made by either side, but it was clear that the Pascans were winning. Looking at the sun again, General Yaciel could feel the fear welling up in his stomach.

***

Tribilin could only smirk at how well the battle was going for them. The UFTW hadn't moved an inch forward since the battle began, and their defense hadn't slowed down one bit. He laughed to himself again, and looked down on the UFTW, still lined up in formation. He got an idea, and his smirk only increased in size afterwards.

"READY THE BOULDERS!" Tribilin exclaimed, waiting in glee for his next move.

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Back at Henos, the UFTW had finally managed to gain some more ground, having successfully managed to slow down the Pascans attack and were actually getting some damage done. The mages were better trained than the Pascan mages, using second and third leveled spells on the walls. Chester, Garr, Arche, and Genis had joined up with the archer and mage units, and were proving to be the strongest soldiers in the units. The Swordian users were using their spells for good measure, with Stahn, Rutee, and Leon attacking while Philia provided defense with wind spells. The rest could only just watch and wait as the assault continued.

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"G...GENERAL YACIEL! THE HILL, IT'S..." A soldier shouted out.

General Yaciel looked at the hill, and gasped. Several Pascans had opened the gate, and had dragged with them giant boulders on carts, which the Pascans had somehow managed to get up the hill. The Pascans stood for a few seconds, and released the boulders, which rolled down the hill straight towards the UFTW, who were lined up in groups. He quickly looked up, and saw it was just about noon.

"RETREAT! FALL BACK! USE THE FLARES!" General Yaciel ordered, turning around and raising his arm in the air. The UFTW began running away, and all of the mages shot a Fireball spell into the air, creating a giant flare in the sky. The boulders came rolling down, and despite the efforts of everyone to dodge the boulders or slow them down, many were crushed. General Yaciel looked back in horror as many of his own men were crushed to death, their screams echoing through the dying battlefield.

***

Tribilin's expression lightened up as he laughed madly, watching as the UFTW soldiers were crushed and hearing the screams of the survivors. He looked around the battlefield, specifically ahead of the UFTW's retreat line.

"General Hemoses, we have won the battle! I request permission to pursue and kill off the sur..." One of the generals began.

"No! We are to leave them alone. If we try to pursue them, we could be walking right into a trap. No, we'll let them flee for today, and if they try to attack again, we'll just repel them the same way. These people were foolish, thinking they could take over this city. We will celebrate our victory once we have finished retrieving the dead and wounded!" Tribilin replied.

_Heh heh heh...Sorry, UFTW, but I'm not going to fall for the same trick twice. You may have been able to trick me back at the Battle for Granvoise, but I learn from experience. You can attack as many times as you like, but the result will always be the same._

***

At the very back of Henos, only two guards were posted on these walls, every other soldier at the front to deal with the UFTW. Suddenly, they heard cheering, and the light of the flare from the UFTW shone brightly.

"The battle's over already? Wow, that was fast!" One of the soldiers said, a smile on his face.

The second soldier nodded. "Yeah, only three hours! That must be a new record for General Hemoses. I'm surprised, though. General Hemoses usually likes dragging out these battles for a long period of time."

"Hey, if we win, it really doesn't matter how long it is, right? Still, short battles are the best. After all, it means we have more time for celebrating." The first soldier replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah, you're right. Say, want to have a drink together after the battle's officially over?" Asked the second soldier.

"Of course! After all, you're..." The first soldier started. As he was talking, an arrow shot out of nowhere and impaled the soldier right through his neck. The second soldier jumped in shock, and looked around wildly.

"ENEMY ATT...UGH!" The second soldier tried to run for the battle bell, but he was struck down in the chest by another arrow, causing him to fall down the wall to his death.

Outside of the wall, after the second arrow had struck, rustling was heard behind a large rock formation near the city. Seconds later, thousands of Green Blade soldiers came out from behind the rock, being lead by Nomvar and Senza. With the two soldiers out of the way, Nomvar lead his men up the stone path to the top of the hill. Minutes later, he stood before a wooden gate.

"KNOCK THE GATE DOWN! BREAK THROUGH AND CAPTURE THE CITY! FIRE ANOTHER FLARE IN THE SKY ONCE THE PASCANS HAVE NOTICED US!!" Nomvar ordered.

The Green Blades all nodded in response, and all together, they started knocking down the gate with their combined attacks. Nomvar could only smile. This was another sneak attack planned by Nomvar and Senza. The night before the battle, under the cover of darkness, the Green Blades, lead by Nomvar and Senza, arrived near Henos around midnight, then hid in the back by the rock formation and waited. Nomvar predicted that with Tribilin's attitude, he would send almost all of his soldiers to guard the front gate, leaving the back undefended.

General Yaciel would then attack around nine o'clock that morning and stall for three hours until noon. He would then call a retreat and pull his soldiers back, launching a magic flare and luring Tribilin into a false sense of security. When the Green Blades saw the flare, they would kill the guards on the back wall, and then break into the city. By the time the Pascans realized what was going on, it would be too late.

The gate broke down at that instant, and the Green Blades started piling into the city. On his horse, Nomvar rode forward, directing his men to capture different parts of the city and maintain a front. He continued to ride; taking note of several points as he men ran into several of the buildings.

***

Tribilin just kept smiling and watching the UFTW flee before them. As he started to relax, another soldier ran up to him, out of breath and frantic.

"General Hemoses! It's the rebel group! They've broken through the back gate, and have taken over a third of the city!" The soldier gasped.

Tribilin's eyes went livid. "WHAT!? DAMN IT! We fell right into their trap! All units, attack the rebel group in the back of the city! I want all of them either dead or captured! Got that!? LEAVE NO WOUNDED, JUST CAPTURE AND KILL THEM!"

*** 

Nomvar heard the bell for battle, and smiled that the plan was working so far. Finally, he turned to his mages. "LAUNCH THE SECOND FLARE!"

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The gate fell over in Henos as Genis cast Indignation on the gate, killing several soldiers in the process. The UFTW began to charge forward through the rain of arrows, holding their shields up in order to block the arrows, while Kanonno managed to use her power to block the arrows. As he entered the city, Alex saw the mana plant overhead, making the city seem miniscule in comparison. He glanced over to the right, and saw that there was indeed a street a little bit up to the right.

The Ad Libitum unit charged, having planned out formations beforehand. The swordsmen, like Cless and Lloyd, fought alongside each other, their synchronized artes and slashes taking down the enemy easily. Senel and Farah worked on disarming the enemy and taking their equipment once they had been killed or wounded. Chester and Garr stood in the middle, shooting overhead towards their enemy. The mages, such as Genis and Arche, cast powerful spells into the huge group of enemies. Finally, the healers, like Annie, Raine, and Tear, stood in the back, quickly casting spells seconds after they finished an earlier one.

General Halvun, true to his word, was personally supporting Alex in the fight with his unit. He wielded a claymore, swinging it effortlessly with great force, sometimes cutting down as many as four soldiers at once. His expertise in battle clearly showed as he blocked every attack against him with great speed, and seemed to perceive everything moving on the battlefield.

After many minutes of fighting, the way finally cleared up for Alex. He ran off for the street on the right, taking the rest of his unit with him. Seeing this, several soldiers tried to run after him, but Kanonno quickly blocked them off with her unit, keeping them contained. Alex ran down the street, noting there were very few soldiers. Some of the enemies tried attacking his unit, but the UFTW soldiers took them out quickly.

After running down three blocks, Alex could see a street that cut diagonally through the city, headed in the direction of the mana plant. He ran down the street, which took about a minute to get through. When he exited, he saw a street that lead north towards the mana plant. After running down the street, he found another street that ran diagonally directly to the plant. Again, he ran through the street, and finally exited, only to see the north part of the plant and...

_What....WHAT THE HELL!?_

_Thousands _of soldiers were standing in front of the northern part of the plant, most of them equipped with lances and bows, along with shorts words. They looked surprised at the sight of Alex and his unit right in front of them, but they shrugged it off, and began attacking.

_Why...WHY!? Prophet said...Prophet was...wrong? I...don't understand what's going on!_ Alex thought, shocked beyond belief. He raised his shield, and could only watch the rest of his men get attacked and wiped out...

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General Yaciel watched his army climb up the hill towards Koras as the enemy was in complete disarray and confusion, unsure of which side to attack. Seconds later, the UFTW had reached the gate, and began tearing it down together. Suddenly, General Yaciel got a strange feeling. He looked up, and saw Tribilin staring right at him with hate in his eyes. Suddenly, Tribilin started laughing at him, and turned away.

General Yaciel turned to his second-in command. "I'm going into battle."

"Huh? But General Yaciel, it's dangerous!" His general replied. He was a man in his thirties, with black hair and green eyes. While he was fairly young, he had still managed to climb to the top of the military in his home world and in the UFTW, impressing General Yaciel.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You're in charge now, General Mirez. You have the talent to lead the army, and I believe in you. Understood?" General Yaciel replied.

General Mirez paused a second, then saluted General Yaciel. "Yes, sir!"

General Yaciel nodded, and then kicked his horse, riding towards the city. He fingered the hilt of his blade, then drew a rapier out and continued his charge.

Tribilin walked down from the roof he was standing on, smirking yet again to himself.

_Heh...He took the bait._

***

Nomvar and Senza were now fighting on horseback through the city, taking out enemies as they rode by. The surprise attack had worked to their advantage so far, as the split of Pascans throughout the city was very uneven and almost half of the city had been captured. Suddenly Nomvar saw something moving very quickly towards him, and jumped off his horse to avoid the attack. He looked up, and saw the second Silver Knight, who had used some sort of projectile attack towards him. Nomvar looked around, got out his knives, and readied himself. Senza dismounted, and got into a fighting stance herself...

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Alex kept hiding behind his shield, but knew he wouldn't be able to last out much longer, having suffered several wounds from the arrows that managed to graze him. Only a few men in his unit were still alive, who were also hiding behind their shields, but the rest were either dead or too wounded to fight. The Pascans launched more arrows, and the last few of Alex's men were killed. The arrows stopped, and the men charged forward, dropping their bows and drawing their swords. Alex stood up, and waited for the onslaught.

_This is it...I'm through. I won't be able to complete my task..._

Suddenly, an onslaught of arrows came from the Alex's direction, and hundreds of Pascans were killed instantly. Alex looked behind him, and was shocked to see General Halvun and Kanonno's units charging straight towards him. General Halvun charged forward and cut down the Pascan soldiers with swords in seconds, sweeping his claymore all over the place, striking down the soldiers. General Halvun's unit shot their arrows again, and managed to kill even more of the soldiers. Kanonno ran over to Alex, and grabbed him to prevent him from falling.

"General Earhart! Get General Terresca into one of those buildings and tend to his wounds!" General Halvun exclaimed, while attacking more Pascans.

"Yes, sir!" Kanonno replied. She supported Alex and quickly ran into one of the nearby buildings, sealing the door with her sword. She placed Alex down onto the floor, and reached into her vacuum-space sphere. She got out a Lemon Gel, and fed it to Alex, whose wounds began healing up as soon as he ate it. She pulled out some cloths for wounds, and wrapped them around the spots where Alex was still bleeding. As she finished tightening them, she grabbed Alex's hand, and closed her eyes for a second. Alex's eye widened as he felt Kanonno transferring some of her mana into his body. When she finished, she took a deep breath and looked at Alex.

"Are you alright?" Kanonno asked.

Alex sat up from the floor. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better now. Thanks."

Kanonno nodded, but gave Alex a troubled look. "What happened? I thought you said that this area wasn't very well guarded."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. It was Prophet...Prophet appeared to me a few days ago and told me that this area would be very lightly guarded, so I followed his instructions exactly. However, instead, I found this area to be heavily defended. Kanonno...my men...they're dead...all of them. I've failed as a general! I'm supposed to keep them..." Alex explained.

Kanonno frowned. "Now's not the time to be thinking about that! Look, you need to rest for a few minutes before you go out on the battlefield again. I'll stay with you here and make sure that you're alright before that time."

Alex paused for a second, before nodding. "Alright. I understand."

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General Yaciel had entered the city, looking around quickly for Tribilin. He paid no attention to the rest of the Pascan soldiers around him, simply slashing down anyone who got in his way. As he rounded an alley near where he thought he saw Tribilin, he stopped his horse as he saw a figure approaching him from the front. Tribilin stood right there, his sadistic smirk as wide as always.

"Tribilin...so, we finally meet." General Yaciel said, rapier at the ready.

Tribilin got his hands ready to fight. "Indeed we do. But I'm afraid that I have to inform you that I'll be the last person you ever meet."

"So you say. But I will prove otherwise. Tribilin, you've caused plenty of suffering in this war, and you've been quite the thorn in our side during battle. If I kill you, the suffering will end, and Pasca will fall!" General Yaciel quipped, slashing his sword.

"My my, even for your age, you're still so naive. The Terresian Descender was barely even able to scratch me in our last fight, and he's one of the strongest contributors to the UFTW! But what about you? You're an unknown general from a far off world that has lost its glory, no doubt. You have contributed _nothing _to the war that will be worth remembering! You're going to die right here, general. And you know something else? _No one_ is going to give a damn when you're dead. Your accomplishments will be forgotten, and other, more powerful generals will take over while you fade from history! Isn't that sad, knowing that you're not going to be missed by anyone?" Tribilin taunted.

General Yaciel was filled with rage, and began charging forward. "_Don't mess with me_! You are dead!"

Tribilin just smirked, and also charged forward, ready to begin the battle...

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Alex took a deep breath as he exited the building with Kanonno, his sword drawn. Upon entering the street, he looked up at the sky, and saw the sun over the west, indicating the battle had gone on for about seven hours now. He saw that the street had been cleared by General Halvun and his men. General Halvun looked directly at him, and nodded.

"Don't worry, General Terresca! We shall hold off the enemy while you storm the mana plant! Focus on reaching the core, and destroy it! That is a far greater task than anyone in this entire battle has. You are our only chance of destroying that vile plant, so don't worry about us! Got it?!" General Halvun explained.

"Yes, sir!" Alex exclaimed, saluting.

"Then go! DON'T STOP!" General Halvun ordered.

Alex nodded, and began his mad dash. He saw the mana plant's entrance before him, but gasped as he saw several more Pascans come out and charged right at him. General Halvun's unit responded in tandem, charging them down and preventing any of them from getting close to Alex. Archers came from the rooftops, but Kanonno's unit dealt with them, firing their own arrows in retaliation. Alex was about halfway there when a large enemy unit came in from the west, and were about to strike when someone ordered them to stop. Alex kept running in confusion until he saw a spear flying straight towards him. Alex barely dodged, rolling to evade the attack.

"TERRESIAN DESCENDER! YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"

Alex gasped as he saw Darius emerged from the large unit, using his gloves to magnetically control his spear again. Alex looked directly into Darius' eyes, and was shocked to see the eyes that were once filled with honor now contorted in pure, berserker rage, as Darius' entire face screamed _death_.

"GENERAL TERRESCA! LEAVE HIM TO ME! KEEP CHARGING!" General Halvun exclaimed. He charged straight towards Darius, dodged his spear, and swung directly at Darius, who managed to jump out of the way.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Darius screamed, flailing his spear at General Halvun in blind fury, who dodged every thrust fluidly. Alex looked back for a second, and then continued his charge, adrenaline filling his body. He finally reached the mana plant when suddenly; a soldier appeared out of nowhere and swung at Alex. Having no time to defend, Alex tried to dodge when someone ran by and killed the Pascan. Alex looked over to the body, only to see Reid over the Pascan.

"Reid! You..." Alex started.

"There's no time! Hurry up and destroy that plant! The rest of us will make sure no one gets inside!" Reid shouted.

Alex nodded, and ran inside the plant. The plant, which had been completely emptied, was too dark to see, a strong green light illuminating some wooden walkways through the plant. Alex, panting after all the running he had done, decided to walk through the plant, as it wasn't very hard to get through. As he walked through, despite the tension of the battle that he felt, he couldn't help but be interested in the mana plant, seeing many objects that were unfamiliar to him.

Finally, he reached the core of the mana plant, and looked up to it. It was a pillar of green light flowing down from a blue light from the top, into strange lines on the ground that lead to the weapon factory next to the plant. Looking up at the light, Alex could see that the blue light was a portal to another world, with the mana being drained from another world. Rage filled Alex's body upon this discovery.

"Such things...such things like this...SHOULDN'T EVEN EXIST!" Alex screamed in rage. He put his hand out towards the blue light at the top of the mana. He found the destruction mana in his body, and then drew it out, the familiar white light coming out from his hand. When he completed charging, he fired his power at the blue light, striking the portal to the other world. After a few seconds, the portal exploded, and the mana left over started to overflow from the combined mana from two worlds, and the plant started shaking. The mana finally reached its limit, and released a giant explosion, destroying the entire plant. Alex's mana in the explosion surrounded him and formed a barrier, preventing him from getting hurt.

In the rest of the city, every stopped fighting for a second as they saw the mana plant explode before their eyes. The Pascans all stared in shock and horror as the symbol of their city's prosperity was destroyed. Furiously, Darius thrust his spear into the air, and shot several flares into the air. Reluctantly, the Pascans began retreating, headed for the western gate. Many of the UFTW chased after them, intent on finishing them off. A few minutes later, all that remained were Alex, Kanonno, her unit, General Halvun, his unit, and Darius.

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Nomvar and Senza were desperately locked in combat with the Silver Knight, trying to fight him off. Senza had taken care of close range combat, and was successfully blocking his strikes, but even with this two-on-one advantage, the Silver Knight still had the upper hand. Around them, the Green Blades were getting ruthlessly killed by the Pascans, and those who weren't killed were captured and put onto carts. The Pascans seemed to have accepted defeat as well, hastily retreating with the carts of men.

***

Tribilin and General Yaciel were still fighting despite the retreat, but it was clear Tribilin had the upper hand. General Yaciel lunged forward and tried to slash Tribilin, but Tribilin simply jumped out of the way and kicked General Yaciel in the left arm. He grunted, and continued his assault....

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Alex, Darius, General Halvun, along with General Halvun's men, was standing near the remains of the mana plant. Kanonno and her unit had been chasing some of the retreating soldiers, but were on their way back now. General Halvun had managed so far to resist Darius, having successfully blocked all of his spear attacks.

"Darius! Give up! The battle's been lost!" Alex exclaimed.

Darius glared at Alex with rage, but turned his attention to General Halvun. "I must admit, General Halvun, your skills are far more impressive than I expected. Why, if you had fought me earlier, you may have been able to defeat me."

General Halvun looked puzzled at that comment. "Earlier?"

"But...I'm afraid that our time is out. You were an excellent general, and you surely will be remembered for your efforts. THE END IS NOW! _**MPS, ACTIVATE! PSYCH-LINK: ACTIVE!**_**" **Darius exclaimed, stretching his arms out again, and widening his eyes.

Darius' spear suddenly began shifting irregularly, and General Halvun got his claymore ready. The shaft of the spear opened up, and everyone could only look up in confusion. The shaft started shaking, and suddenly, six smaller spears emerged from the spear, one after another. All seven spears floated in the air, a look of horror filling Alex's face as they flew forwards.

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General Yaciel fell to the ground, his sword lying several feet away from him. Tribilin stomped right on his chest, and General Yaciel couldn't help but scream as he felt his ribs break. A bloodthirsty look filled Tribilin's eyes, as he crouched down to look directly into General Yaciel's eyes.

"Hmph. I can see that I highly overestimated your abilities. For all your talk, it makes me wonder how you even made general. That cocky streak of yours, your impatience in battle...no one in their right minds would have promoted you past sergeant. The standards on your world for general must have been _really _low."

Tribilin took his hands and began choking General Yaciel. He tried to scream for help, but Tribilin put a hand over his mouth and nose, and General Yaciel began to flail wildly around. A few seconds later, a loud _snap_ was heard, and General Yaciel's arms went limp.

"I snapped your neck in a way that you couldn't resist me any longer, but in a way where you're still alive and conscious. It's been a _very _long time since I've ever ripped someone limb from limb...curious about how it feels? Well, I'll show you..."

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Alex's eyes widened even more at the sight in front of him.

General Halvun had been impaled by all seven of Darius' spears, all stuck in his chest. Blood quickly poured out of his mouth, two of the spears having pierced his lungs. His stomach and liver had also been impaled, and so had his intestines. In great pain, General Halvun grabbed two of the spears, and started crushing them with all of his might.

Darius tried to pull back the spears, but General Halvun's grip was way too tight. With a loud roar of agony, General Halvun broke the two spears, breaking them in half. As soon as he finished this task, the last of General Halvun's strength failed him, and he fell onto the snowy ground, dead.

"_**GENERAL HALVUN!**_" Alex screamed. Rage coursed through his entire soul yet again, and he charged right at Darius. General Halvun's men all cried out in fury, and charged at Darius. Darius manipulated his five remaining spears, and flicked his fingers twice. Flames emerged from the shafts of the spears, and General Halvun's men screamed as they were burned alive, desperately trying to put out the fire.

Alex charged yet again, blocking and dodging all of the spears. "DARIUS! DAMN YOU! HOW COULD YOU TAKE AWAY SO MANY PEOPLE JUST LIKE THAT?!"

Darius grit his teeth. "NOW YOU SHARE MY PAIN! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! YOU STOLE BELLADONNA AWAY FROM US! YOU BRAINWASHED HER INTO JOINING YOU! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT, YOU BASTARD!"

Alex paused in shock, and nearly got impaled by one of the spears. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING? THERE IS NO BELLADONNA! THAT WAS JUST KANONNO! BRAINWASHED!? YOU'RE THE ONES WHO KIDNAPPED KANONNO AND EXPERIMENTED ON HER FOR MONTHS, THEN GAVE HER AMNESIA! YOU'RE THE ONES WHO TOOK HER AWAY!"

"WRONG! YOU TOOK...YOU TOOK BELLADONNA AWAY! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOOK HER! Belladonna...My Belladonna...I WILL GET HER BACK! SHE BELONGS WITH US...WITH ME!" Darius screamed. He thrust all five spears at Alex, and shot fire from them, burning Alex as he screamed in pain.

Alex managed to get up, and was right next to Darius. Suddenly, Darius thrust two spears at once at Alex, who rolled out of the way, and then three more attacked him from different directions. Alex managed to block them with his shield in time, but then the other two launched right at him from behind.

_Something is seriously wrong with Darius! He wasn't like this the last time we met!_

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you've lost your mind, Darius! This rage and violence...this sadism...YOU'VE BECOME JUST LIKE TRIBILIN!" Alex retorted, dodging another pattern of spear attacks, and then blocking more with his shield.

"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO HIM! I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM! I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM! ENOUGH TOYING WITH YOU! _**DIE!**_" Darius screamed again. He launched all five spears at once at Alex, who managed to roll out of the way. However, Alex screamed in pain as Darius managed to drive one spear directly through Alex's back partially. The spear exited, and Alex fell to the ground, too weak to continue.

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Nomvar and Senza were losing the fight against the Silver Knight, faltering on their knees. As the Silver Knight went in for the deathblow, a ringing of a bell was head. Complying, the Silver Knight ran off towards the North Gate, retreating.

"It...it retreated? But why?" Senza asked, confused. She gave herself a Lemon Gel, and stood up.

Nomvar gave himself a Lemon Gel, and frowned. "I don't know. But we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. At any rate, it seems we've won the battle. We can finally..."

"_**GENERAL YACIEL!**_"

Nomvar and Senza turned their heads as they heard a soldier scream out from the direction of an alleyway. The two nodded, and ran towards the alley. As they entered, their eyes filled with horror and disgust.

General Yaciel's lay on the ground...or at least, what remained of him. His head had been torn of completely, lying down right next to his sword. His arms had been carelessly thrown toward the back of the alley, the shoulders having been ripped off mercilessly. His legs were right next to the rest of his body, but had been broken in several different spots. His chest had been punched through several times, though each hole was in a non-fatal spot. Finally, his heart had been ripped out and crushed, the blood covering what remained of him.

"General Yaciel...how horrible...I...I never liked him...but I would never wish for this to happen to him." Senza remarked, her voice shaking.

Nomvar noticed a message written in blood on the wall next to the body in the alley. It read: _To the rebel leader-_ _I hoped you enjoyed my little show! You may have won the battle, but after seeing this, do you really feel like you've won_?_ After all, I do currently have several hundred of your members in my captivity. I'll find out your identity in no time!_

"Damn...Damn....DAMN YOU, TRIBILIN!" Nomvar cursed, slamming the wall with his fist.

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Darius gathered all five spears, and prepared them for one last attack. "GO TO HELL!"

Alex could only watch, ready to accept death. Suddenly, all five spears were seemingly repelled by an invisible force, and no matter how hard the spear striked, they couldn't penetrate this force.

_A barrier? That's...!_

Kanonno stood right next to Alex's side, her arms up as she used her Descender power to create a protective shield around the two of them. Darius could only watch in shock, his eyes immediately focused on Kanonno.

"Belladonna! You've returned! Come back to us! Come back to me! You mustn't believe these people's words any longer! You're betraying your own kind! We...no, I, need you. I need you...I need you...I NEED YOU!" Darius shouted, a twinge of..._lust _in his voice.

Kanonno shook her head. "No! It's true that I am betraying my own kind...I always feel sorrow inside me whenever I kill a Pascan soldier...but where I truly belong...is with my _friends_! Not people who needed to brainwash me in order to get me into their service!"

"I NEED YOU! BELLADONNA, COME BACK TO ME! COME BACK! COME BA..."

Kanonno snapped at this point. "I'M _NOT_ ELENA! I WILL _NEVER _BE ELENA! I CAN'T _REPLACE_ ELENA!"

Darius froze in absolute shock at these words, his mind totally confused as the reality of Kanonno's words sunk in. Seeing his chance, Alex quickly created a portal. He stood up, ran through it, and appeared right behind Darius. He raised his sword, and slashed fiercely across Darius' back. Darius screamed in pain, and fell to the ground. He got up, and ran away towards the nearest gate, letting out a blood curling scream of many emotions.

Suddenly, Alex felt his body grow light from the blood loss he was suffering. His eyes closed, and he fell to the ground, not making a sound. Kanonno ran over to him, screaming his name over and over again, as it began to snow beautifully over the bloodstained city...

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**Wow, that was really long! SO sorry for being late! I have no excuses this time, so I hope this extra long chapter can make up for it!**

**Yeah, this was one of my stranger chapters. I had planned out the events of this chapter a long time ago, but things ended out being slightly different from what I had planned (though General Yaciel and General Halvun's deaths occurring simultaneously had been planned from the start.)**

**So anyway, in a few days I shall be receiving my copy of the real RM2! I hope I enjoy it as much as the first one, and I have learned several facts about the new one, mainly that Kanonno Earhart is **_**not **_**the same Kanonno from RM1 (yet I hear she makes an appearance too.)**

**Well then, since the real RM2 changed their voice actor for Kanonno in the Japanese version, I shall do the same! Here is the (hopefully) final change for voice actors in this story!**

**Kanonno-Seiyu change from Haruka Kudo to Maaya Sakamoto.**

**And here's the data for the new Silver Knight!**

**Silver Knight B: See Silver Knight A (Chapter 19)**

**  
Sex: Male. Hair color: Unknown. Eye color: Unknown. Weapon: Longsword.**

**Voice actor: Paul St. Peter. Seiyu: Kiyoyuki Yanada.**

**BTW, I'm so sorry the fight scenes were so short and weak, but I had been working on this chapter for so long, I was in a rush to finish it, so I skipped a lot of details.**

**One more thing: In order to get into the depressed mood to write the closing scenes of the chapter, I played the song "Awakening Souls" from Victory Gundam in the background while I wrote these scenes. I found that it worked really well. If you want to try it to see if it works, look the song up on YouTube.**

**That's all. I hope I get the next chapter up sooner!**


	37. Chapter 36: Ragnarok

**Hi! Final Poke Mario Fan, here with the next chapter! Here we go!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 36: Ragnarok

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_Lavard, shortly after the two battles of Henos and Koras..._

Valvus sat in silence in his room, listening as Darius and Tribilin were giving their reports of their respective battles. While Tribilin was his usual self, grinning away, Darius was somber, giving out his report in a slow and reluctant voice, pausing before speaking.

"Hmm...I see. So Tribilin, did you manage to capture several of the rebels while they were attacking?" Valvus asked.

Tribilin nodded. "Of course I did. I have at least forty of them in my custody right now. It was pathetically easy...those bastards were so focused on capturing the city and their surprise attack that they didn't even attempt to blend the rebels in with the main army. Oh well, soon they will realize their mistake...and I'll return the prisoners in another battle...though I can't say they will be in one piece. Now then, we should be able to learn the name of the rebel's leader from them...along with so _much_ more. Yes...so much more...Their blood will be a testament to how fragile their loyalty really is."

"Good. You have my permission to use any methods necessary in order to extract the information from them...but you would have done that with or without my permission, I'm sure." Valvus sighed.

Tribilin smirked to himself. "What can I say? There's so much work to be done...heh heh heh. Well, Valvus, are the preparations for Operation Savior Break ready? The UFTW should be capturing Depas any day now."

"Everything's ready. We'll have no problems with putting it into motion." Valvus answered.

Tribilin laughed. "Well, well, when you get your ass moving, you can actually get something done. Well, I'm done now. Hey, Darius, turn off the blue-light on me. I'm done with you two for now.

"...Very well." Darius replied. He clenched his hand, and Tribilin's blue light viewer disappeared. Valvus turned his attention towards Darius, whose face was still downcast.

"And what about you, Darius? With the mana plant destroyed, our weapons production output has been lowered by 25 percent. What's worse, with the Northern Wastelands in the UFTW's control, we've lost a lot of our precious mineral business. The war will now be harder to win, now that we only still have half of Pasca left. What happened up in Henos?"

"I...I have no excuse, Master Valvus. But...during the battle, my heart was consumed by a bloodthirsty hatred for the Terresian Descender." Darius began.

_Darius? Holding a grudge?_ "Go on."

"When I received word we had lost Fort Vaia, my mind was obsessed with the thought of killing the Terresian Descender and returning Belladonna to us. These thoughts drove me to the brink of insanity. I don't know what came over me. Every time I thought, I could only think of driving my lance through the Terresian Descender. I...I even gave an order for my unit not to kill him for the sole purpose of allowing me to do so."

"What?!"

"Avarice...revenge...that was all I was thinking of at the time. And so, when the UFTW attacked, I impatiently waited. So many men...many of my own men died that day, just for my selfish ambition. And then, I saw that man; I saw the Terresian Descender. Rage was no longer just my thoughts then, it was my very soul. I went into a blind rage. The UFTW held me off...they allowed the Terresian Descender to destroy the mana plant."

"And? What then?"

"I ordered the retreat, but the Terresian Descender was still there. I activated the MPS, used it to wipe out an entire unit. However, that General Halvun managed to destroy two of the spears in the MPS. I managed to injure the Terresian Descender, and then...Belladonna intercepted the attack. And then...and then..." Darius stopped. His voice was quivering, and he was trying his hardest to control himself.

Valvus felt a bit of sympathy towards Darius. "Darius...I've watched you all these years. You've always been the most composed of my generals, something that I always liked. But now, I can see you feel grief for the one time you lost control and let many of your men die. It's alright to grieve in this situation."

"I...I...I...Oh Avoli, _**what have I done**_!?" Darius screamed. He fell to the floor, and released his emotions, sobbing pitifully on his knees. Valvus could only watch with a feeling of sadness and confusion, still unclear what happened that caused Darius' breakdown...

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_Koras, soon afterwards..._

Nomvar and Senza were sitting in a room in the military base in Koras, sitting in silence as they looked over different reports regarding the battle.

"We're going to have a lot more difficulty with the rebellion right now." Senza remarked, sipping her coffee.

Nomvar nodded. "I know. With our comrades that Tribilin captured, there is no doubt that my identity will be revealed as the rebellion leader. It's true that we've joined up with the UFTW, but our source of secret supplies will soon be blocked off for good."

"You don't necessarily know that's true."

"No, it's a definite. Valvus will probably place a high bounty on my name and my face will be revealed to all of Pasca. With all of Valvus' wealth, even some of our very loyal sympathizers will be worrying if their caught doing business with the rebels. Unfortunately, we're going to have to rely on everything we have now. I can't show my face to them again. Looks like I've been chasing a dream all of this time."

Senza looked up in concern. "What do you mean?"

"Up until now, I've thought that everything that we've done was right. No matter what happened, I kept telling myself it's been for the sake of destroying the tyrannical rule of Valvus. I wanted to save Pasca's citizens from his rule. But...I've never truly given thought that our actions are hypocritical." Nomvar sadly replied.

"That's not-"

"No! It's true. All of this time, I've been blindly focused on the goal of defeating Valvus. I never gave consideration to our comrades! Every battle, several of them die, all believing that we're fighting for a good cause. But give some thought to it, Senza. Haven't we just been killing off Pascan civilians ourselves? We've been making Pasca a worse place. We incited incidents in which we killed soldiers-all of which were Pascans. Our attacks on Pasca have only succeeded in killing more Pascans."

"..." Senza found herself speechless.

Nomvar gave a bitter laugh. "But even still, I went on with the fighting.'We could make a difference', those were my thoughts in every battle. But now...now that our own comrades have been captured, I've truly realized how fragile our rebellion was from the beginning. While the UFTW is doing good, all this time I've been lying to myself. If I had realized just what I had been doing, I would have stopped long ago. I'm scum...the lowest scum in the world. Sacrificing people for my own benefit...I'm no better than Valvus."

"Don't say that!"

"Senza?"

Senza sighed for a second. "...It's true our actions up to now have been hypocritical. Many have died for a cause that has been self-contradictory from the start. But that doesn't change a thing. Remember why you decided to start this rebellion. Remember Rugen. You started this whole thing because you saw a flaw in this world, and you wanted to change that. If your ideals were wrong, would anyone have joined up with us? The fact remains that thousands of people joined us. Can you say why they would have joined us if they didn't believe in what you did?"

"Even so, that doesn't change-"

"No, you're wrong! It changes everything. These people that have joined us all believed in this ideal of yours. The fact remains that we've all fought together because we all believe in something important to us. Each one of us fought for what we thought was right, so we all can share the pain. Nothing you've done is wrong, Nomvar."

Nomvar was silent for a second, thinking over what Senza said. Finally, he smiled back. "Thank you, Senza."

Senza and Nomvar then leaned forward, and kissed each other while locking into an embrace...

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_Henos..._

Alex slowly opened his eyes, awakening in a bedroom. He groaned as he grabbed his head, feeling as heavy as lead. He tried to get up, but screamed as a sharp pain ripped out from his back. He lay back down on the bed, taking a few breathes as he lay back down on the bed. Having trouble seeing in the darkness of the room, Alex could feel the warmth of a fire nearby him.

Just then, the door opened. Alex turned to face the door, and saw Kanonno standing in its frame. She gave a gasp of surprise.

"Alex! You're awake!" Kanonno exclaimed.

Alex gave a weak nod. "It...It seems I am. What happened? Where am I? How long was I out?"

"We're still in Henos, Alex. You fell unconscious right after the battle ended, and have been recovering in the military base for the past four days."

"F...Four days?!"

A look of concern passed Kanonno's eyes. "Yeah...that first day was really scary. You were losing a lot of blood, and no matter what I did, I couldn't stop the bleeding. I thought you were going to die. Fortunately, the rest of the unit came back in time, and we managed to save your life in time."

"'We'? Who was the one who healed me?" Alex asked.

"Well, Tear was the one who healed you, but as it turns out, there was a piece of the spear still stuck in your back. Annie had to do some small surgery of sorts to get it out of you. Then the next two days, you were in bed with a fever, but it broke this morning. You'll be fine with some more rest." Kanonno answered.

Alex sighed in relief. "I see. So we managed to take the ci...wait a minute. What am I...ah! Darius! What happened to Darius!?"

Kanonno took a seat next to Alex, and frowned. "He got away. After you attacked him, he fled the city. We searched the perimeter, but found no sign of him. He must have managed to reach safety."

"Damn it. I thought my blade would have hurt him more than that. I guess his wounds got to me worse than I thought they would. Wait, that's right! Kanonno! You managed to use your Descender power perfectly during the battle! The only reason he didn't kill me was because you managed to use your powers to protect me. How did you do it? Last time I remember, you were having some trouble with it." Alex remarked.

Kanonno sighed. "I'm not sure. At that time, when I saw you losing against Darius, I was running towards you as fast as I could. While I was running, all I could think was 'I need to save Alex', and 'I need to protect him'. Other than that, I wasn't even thinking about using my power."

"Huh...come to think of it, it reminds me of the first time I managed to use my destructive powers willingly. When I attacked Valvus on the top of Gilgulim, I was filled with rage over the knowledge of Mormo's death. I was thinking that I needed to kill them...I needed to kill them very violently. Hold on a minute...I think I have an idea of how we are able to use our Descender powers at will."

"A theory? Wait...could it be linked to emotions?" Kanonno asked.

Alex nodded. "That's right. My rage and desire to destroy Valvus and Tribilin was so great, it was all I was thinking about at that moment. When you ran over to help me, you said you were purely focused on your desire to protect me. I believe that our Descender powers can be used willingly after a time where our emotions are extremely powerful and linked to the power we possess, allowing us to use these powers in their true form."

"I see. Hearing your theory, I think it makes sense, but there's no way of knowing for sure whether it's right or not. I think I'd better go tell the others now that you're ok." Kanonno replied, about to get out of her chair.

"Wait, Kanonno. Now that we have a minute alone, there's something I need to ask you. Just before I passed out, you told Darius that you 'were not Elena'. What were you talking about?" Alex asked.

Kanonno looked down at Alex in shock. "I...that is..."

"I know there's a story behind you and Darius, Kanonno. I've been able to tell for a while. What happened between the two of you, and who is Elena? Kanonno, please tell me the truth." Alex asked.

Kanonno paused for a moment. "..."

"Kanonno!"

Kanonno sighed sadly, and remained in her seat. "...Alright then. I really wish I could have kept this a secret from you, but I don't think I have any other choice at this time. Try to remain calm, Alex. In order to get the full story, I need to take you back four years ago, shortly before I committed my genocide."

Kanonno took a deep breath. "Darius Izas was a general four years ago from Lavard. He had served in the military ever since he was 18 and fought very hard for his country. During his thirteen years of service, Darius met and married a Scollance woman named Nadia Orosco. Two years later, they had a daughter together. Her name...was Elena."

"Elena?"

"Darius was often away from his home in order to fight in battles, but his family was very understanding, and every chance he got, he went home to be with his wife and daughter. As she grew older, Elena became more and more outspoken and was a very strong girl...just like her mother, Darius told me. He loved them more than anything in the world, and once he reached 35, he was going to give up his commission to be with his family for the rest of his life. Then...came the next war." Kanonno explained, a smile forming on her face as she described Elena.

Alex nearly lurched forward on his bed, but stopped. "The next war? Four years ago? Wait, do you mean...the Lavard-Scollance War of 1595?"

Kanonno nodded. "Yes, that's right. War broke out between the two countries again as a foolish attempt on both sides in order to gain territory. The main group of fighting broke out on the Tynos Peninsula, the border between the two nations. Valvus and Darius were both major generals during the conflict, but despite their best efforts, Scollance got the upper hand, and pushed Lavard back to Arres, a city near the Gaudian Peninsula, and...Darius' home."

Alex's eyes widened in realization. "You...you don't mean that the city was..."

Kanonno sadly shook her head. "No, you're wrong. The city wasn't destroyed in the battle. The Lavard army won, and they forced the Scollance forces into a retreat. However...the city was damaged badly in the attack. There were still many in their homes in the battle that were killed. And then..."

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_Four years ago, after the battle of Arres..._

_Darius was looking around frantically in the damaged city, feeling the flames of some of the destroyed buildings around him. He ran towards the western side of town, and his breath grew faster by the second. He finally reached the area he was looking for, and gasped._

_The western side of town was very badly damaged, many homes crumbled or in ashes. Darius started hyperventilating, and ran over to his home. His house had been completely crushed by a catapult boulder, split into many pieces. Darius ran over to it, and saw an arm crushed under the boulder._

_With great strength, Darius threw off the boulder. A young girl with pink hair was under the wreckage, her body covered in blood. Her bones were twisted outside of her body, and all of the other ones were shattered. Her face was barely recognizable, her skull crushed and her eyes nothing more but paste._

_Darius screamed at the top of his lungs, pounding the earth while crying over the girl's body..._

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Alex looked up with a horrified glance, while Kanonno continued. "After that battle, Darius went into a blind rage. He immediately hunted down the surviving members of the Scollance unit involved in the battle, and made sure they were all killed violently. After that, he fell into a deep depression. He blamed the Scollance army for killing his family, blamed his own unit for not being good enough to defend them, but most of all, blamed himself for not protecting them better."

"I...I can't even imagine how painful that must have been. Losing everything you loved just like that...that's a pain no one should have to face." Alex sadly commented.

"Unfortunately, it happened to Darius. He tried to commit suicide several times after that, but all his attempts failed. It was Valvus who saved him in the end. He told Darius that he was not to blame for the incident, that it was the kingdom's faults for being so war mongering, and for squandering all of their mana. He managed to turn Darius around and made him completely loyal to his cause of a rebellion." Kanonno explained.

_So, that explains why Darius is so loyal to Valvus,_ Alex thought.

Kanonno took a deep breath. "Anyway, after I performed my genocide, you know that Valvus conquered Pasca and made it an empire, then they found me and made me Belladonna. In my Belladonna persona, they way I acted and the way I looked reminded Darius of Elena. During the time we shared together, he became a mentor of sorts to me while still reminded of his daughter. Over time, Darius came to think of me as Elena herself, and seemed to suffer a case of identity confusion as he treated me like his daughter. I think he was trying to somehow "repent" for letting Elena die, and thought I could be his second chance."

"I didn't mind at first, but as time went on, he seemed to have used me as a substitute for his daughter completely. He completely forgot his own daughter and wife and just used me to ease the pain. When you brought my memories back and took me to the UFTW, that must have been a major blow on his psyche. He was obsessed with killing you that last battle because he wanted revenge for you "snatching me away" and wanted to bring me back."

Alex looked stunned at this revelation. "I...I see. That would explain everything, including as to why he still calls you Belladonna."

"But he can't keep living like this! Using me to replace the ones he loved was completely wrong! He loved his family so much, and he betrayed his love by using a surrogate in order to end his guilt! I kept trying to make him move on about me, but he refused to do so! I wanted him to move on from their deaths and become stronger! Not fighting for the sole sake of dying!" Kanonno shouted.

"Wait...'fighting for the sole sake of dying'? What do you mean about that, Kanonno?" Alex asked.

Kanonno shook her head. "I forgot to tell you that. Ever since his family's death, Darius has been fighting for only one purpose: to find an opponent stronger than him who can kill him. He still believes that he must help Valvus as long as he breathes, but that has completely blocked him off from the idea of suicide. He wishes to be killed in battle so that he may join his family in death and meet them once again. As he once said, he is just a fighting corpse, looking for a burial ground somewhere."

"...How sad." Alex remarked. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"Yeah. Chester knows. I told him about Darius in order to make him stop thinking of me as a replacement for his sister. I was sick of the same thing happening all over again, so I made sure he understood that the living cannot be a substitute for the dead." Kanonno sadly remarked.

The two remained silent, the fire roaring loudly...

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_Five days later, Depas_...

Alex stood in the city, sheathing his sword. The battle for Depas had ended just three hours ago, and had been very quick and easy. The Pascans had barely put up a fight, many of their soldiers composed of battle weary men from Henos who had very little will to fight. The battle had ended in three hours, with a total of only 1,231 casualties on both sides. In fact...the battle had gone almost _too _perfectly.

Alex sighed, and walked over to talk with Tear, who was currently examining the bodies. "Did you manage to find out anything about Darius from the bodies?"

"No, nothing really. It would seem that these men are not a part of Darius' unit, but rather a smaller unit from another general. If I had to make a guess from the evidence I've seen, it's very likely Valvus regrouped with his unit here and left on a ship." Tear answered.

"Damn. Well, thanks for taking the time to look into it."

Tear nodded, and walked off. Alex then walked down towards the harbor area, looking for Kratos, when he stopped to look at the ocean. The water was much rougher here than in other parts of Pasca, waves crashing hard against the bay. The ships were also much stronger, their wooden build being three times as thick as most of the boats Alex had seen in Pasca. Clearly, they were not built for warfare.

_A ship…tomorrow, me and Kanonno should check the harbor and find a ship to take to the Retzam Icecap. There probably aren't that many willing to go on such a dangerous voyage, and even fewer will want to take members of the UFTW. But I'm sure we'll be able to think of something._

"Hey, Alex! You have a minute?" Genis' voice called out.

Alex turned around, seeing Genis standing behind him. "Sure. What is it?"

"Well, you know how you and Kanonno asked me to join you in your trip to the Icecap along with Veigue and Senel? I decided to go further, and I managed to get three more people willing to come along! I talked to Stahn, Eugene, and Cless, who all agreed to go with us on the boat!"

Alex smiled. "Wow, really? Thank you, Genis! I see you chose who to bring with us wisely! But, what about Raine? If there's a Descender artifact there, there has to be a ruin of sorts up there. Why didn't you ask her?"

"Well…"

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_A few weeks earlier…_

"_AN EXPEDITION IN THE RETZAM ICECAP TO LOOK FOR A DESCENDER ARTIFACT!?"_

_Genis cringed as he grabbed his ears. "Ow, Sis, keep your voice down! You hurt my ears!"_

_Raine, who's eyes were practically bulging out of her sockets, glared at Genis. "Why didn't you tell me about the expedition!? They're looking for a Descender Artifact, so there must be a ruin where they're going! Ever since we've entered Pasca, I've been curious about their culture and what they're like! And if I get the chance to go to this ruin, I'll be able to see all of that…"_

"_Um, Sis, you're forgetting something. The reason I didn't_ _invite you on the expedition is because we're going to the Retzam _Icecap_. Which means we'll have to take a _ship,_ over the _ocean, _which incidentally is the most dangerous ocean in all of Pasca." Genis explained._

_All of the color in Raine's face instantly drained away._

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"Ah, I see." Alex replied.

"Yeah, so Raine's not coming. Well, that's all I needed to tell you. I'll see you tomorrow!" Genis said, turning to go.

Alex nodded. "Right. See you!"

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_The next day…_

Alex and Kanonno were walking talking to the harbor master, looking over the map of Pasca that lay before him. The cold wind rapped the windows of the harbor, causing Alex to look back and forth nervously.

"No way! There's no way in hell anyone would be suicidal enough to take a journey like that!" The harbor master exclaimed.

Kanonno frowned. "But we really need the ship to the Retzam Icecap! We have no other way to get there! Are you positive that no one would take the journey for no matter how much money we gave them?"

"W…Well…Of course not! You're the UFTW! You're the ones who took over our city! There's no way we would let any of you get on our ships in the first place, no matter how much we had to bleed for it, or…" The harbor master started.

Kanonno sighed, reached for her vacuum-space sphere, and pulled out a pouch filled to the brim with money. "Then what about this?"

The harbor master's eyes widened, and he opened the pouch, gasping in shock at the money. "Captain Nymes of the _Endurance_ would take you. He's been on these waters for over 40 years, and has never wrecked one ship. Of course…you may need to show him some persuasion, just like with me. Heh heh heh."

"Thank you." Kanonno finished. She nodded to Alex, and then went out the door, going back to the harbor. When they shut the door, Kanonno let out a disgusted sigh.

"Such a greedy man…"

Alex nodded. "It's unfortunate that so many people like him are found all over the universe. If it weren't for them, it would be a better place."

"Well, it can't be helped. We need to get that ship no matter what. Let's see…Captain Nymes should be by his ship, so let's go there. Let's just hope he's more willing to deal fairly then the harbor master."

"Yeah."

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"…The Retzam Icecap, huh?" Captain Nymes said. He was an old man in his 60s, with wrinkles covering his entire body. Despite that, both Alex and Kanonno knew he really had been on the sea for over 40 years, judging by the scars all over his face and arms, not to mention his very well toned muscles from years of hard work.

Kanonno nodded. "That's right. Can you do it?"

Captain Nymes scratched his beard. "It's not a matter of whether I 'can' do it; I can do it with no problems. The question is how much are you willing to pay for it? It's a very dangerous journey, one that would make most men run in terror. Even if I took you there, there's a chance we may still die at any time. I need to see how much you're willing to risk."

"I see. Well then, would you accept this much?" Kanonno asked. She removed a bigger pouch from her vacuum-space sphere, and handed it to Captain Nymes. He opened the pouch, and looked it over. He then smiled to himself, and looked right back up a Kanonno, a pleased look in his eyes.

"I'll do it for half of what's in here." Captain Nymes replied.

Kanonno gasped in surprise. "What? But...this is a lot of money!"

Captain Nymes nodded. "Exactly. By presenting me with that much money, you showed me that you didn't care about money, just that you could get to that place. I admire people like you who are looking for adventure...not those money grubbing nobles and businessmen who have tried to rip me off so many times in the past. Because of your sincerity, I will take you to the Retzam Icecap."

Kanonno smiled. "I thank you for being so kind, Captain Nymes."

"So then, when can you be ready to leave?" Alex asked.

Captain Nymes scratched his beard again. "Let's see...probably in about two days. I'll have all the supplies and equipment necessary by then. Come back at my ship that morning, and I'll take you to the Icecap."

"Alright, we'll do that. We'll be back in two days." Alex replied. Captain Nymes nodded, and then turned to his ship to rouse his crew. Alex turned to Kanonno. "Captain Nymes seems to be a good person."

Kanonno nodded. "Yes, I agree. He's a far cry from the harbor master. He seems like the kind of man who has learned to understand the sea during his years of travels. He also didn't care that we were from the military. I believe he is a man we can trust."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, we should go back to the city and prepare for the trip." Alex replied. He and Kanonno turned away from the docks, and headed into the city, the cool air blowing by...

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_Two days later..._

Alex and Kanonno walked towards the harbor, the wind blowing against them. Walking with them was Genis, Veigue, Senel, Stahn, Eugene, and Cless. They were all dressed heavily, and carried with them their own vacuum-space spheres.

"We're going to go see that Retzam Icecap place, huh? I can't wait to see what it's like!" Stahn exclaimed, smiling.

Cless looked back towards him. "That's why you decided to come along with us? I thought you told me you had a 'bad experience' with a lake near ice once. Why did you come if that had happened to you?"

"Because it only happened once, that's why! After all, if the ice is too slippery, I'll just melt it away!" Stahn replied. Cless just shook his head.

"If the Retzam Icecap is as dangerous as they say, it's likely that we'll need to make this a fast trip. I could probably last longer than most of you with my fur, but you'll have to deal with the cold directly, though Veigue can probably last longer due to his affiliation with ice. I'll say we probably can last about a week on the icecap with what we have now." Eugene said.

"Yeah. At this time of year, winter reaches the worst part in Pasca. We need to make sure we get the artifact and head back. However, I don't think we should teleport directly back to Depas once we're done. Captain Nymes is doing a huge favor for us by taking us all of the way out to the Icecap. It would be rude not to go back with him as well." Kanonno replied.

Alex thought for a second. "Hmm...I guess you're right. Even though it would be faster to teleport back, we can't just leave Captain Nymes behind. Alright, we'll take the ship back."

Just then, the eight reached the dock where Captain Nymes stood. In front of them was a grand ship, the name _Endurance _carved on its side. A ramp from the ship's deck lowered to the dock, as sailors walked up and down the ramp, carrying the last of their supplies on board. Captain Nymes stood at the bottom of the ramp, supervising the loading. He turned his head, and noticed the group at the dock. He gave a command to his first mate, and then went over to meet the eight.

"Ah, you came. I'm glad to see that. These must be your companions, yes?" Captain Nymes remarked.

Alex nodded. "Yes. Are we almost ready to go?"

Captain Nymes nodded. "Just give me and my crew twenty more minutes. Then we'll set out."

Senel stepped forward. "Do you mind if I helped you finish up? I used to work on ships for a few years, and I know what needs to be done."

"Hmm...You certainly do look like the type. Very well, come with me. The rest of you, wait here." Captain Nymes answered. Senel nodded, and walked back with Captain Nymes towards the ship. The rest stood there, just waiting.

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_Thirty minutes later..._

The group was now standing on the bow of the ship, looking out towards the ocean. Unlike the clear waters of Shiroc, the water of Depas was very dark, most likely due to the constant clouds above the port. Alex was shaking a little bit, looking around.

"Huh? Are you cold, Alex?" Cless asked.

Alex shook his head. "No, just a bit nervous. This is my first real time on a ship."

Genis looked at him, confused. "What are you talking about, Alex? Don't you remember that you were on those warships during the Battle on the Big Bridge of Scollvoise?"

"Oh, you're right. Well, now that I think about it, at that time I was so focused to get to you guys and help fight that I didn't think about the ship much. But now that I'm going on a full voyage, I'm more concerned about what might happen." Alex explained.

"Don't worry too much about it. If Captain Nymes truly has been sailing these waters for forty years, then we'll be safe. Besides, you could always warp us back to the port if something went wrong, right?" Eugene replied.

Before Alex could say anything, the ship started moving. They quickly turned around, watching as Captain Nymes shouted out orders around the deck. The crew members responded with incredible agility, receiving and completing tasks in almost the blink of an eye. Senel was also helping with the effort, releasing the sails and checking the direction of the wind. Seconds later, the boat began moving out of the harbor, gaining momentum until it had finally left...

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_Six days later..._

Eugene, Cless, and Alex sat below deck, the latter two wrapped in blankets. They shuddered as the ship shook slightly, looking around. After five days of uninterrupted travel, the ship had finally run into the icebergs. Genis, Stahn, Veigue, and Kanonno had gone up to the deck to use their skills to either melt the icebergs or manipulate them away from the ship. Senel was helping navigate.

"So this is what they meant by the waters of the Retzam Icecap being near impossible to navigate. No wonder so few have actually reached it." Eugene remarked.

Cless nodded. "There's so many icebergs, and only a few of us who can actually stop them. Hey, Alex, you have the power to convert mana into energy and create a destruction ray with it, right? Why don't you just do that to clear the area of icebergs?"

Alex shook his head. "No, it doesn't quite work that way. While I can control when I use my power and summon it up, I can't control the output, or move it around. Once it fires, it just shoots out all of the energy until it's done, and I can't lower the power any bit. If I did try that here, I could destroy the ship."

"Oh...I see. Well then, we'll just have to leave it to the crew and the others to get us through here. But...is this voyage really worth the risk? I know that the Descender artifacts are very important, but with waters this dangerous, would Valvus even risk sending people here? He might not be able to get anything either." Cless asked.

"Well, if the tablet that we found at the Ruins of Hamarabi is accurate, then this artifact here is probably one of the ones that will benefit me. Since Valvus already has two of them, I won't be able to stop him unless I get this artifact as well. So I would say yes, this is worth the risk." Alex replied.

Eugene then turned his gaze towards Alex. "Alex. You do realize that even if you get all three artifacts, that it may not be enough to stop Valvus. You may be a Descender, but you've only 'lived' for almost a year. Valvus has been fighting in wars for over twenty years now. His experience greatly outnumbers yours."

Alex sighed. "I know that. But even if I die, it won't really matter. At least it's possible that I may have weakened him enough so that the rest of you will be able to defeat him. Kanonno can take the artifacts and use them in that case. So don't worry; at least I hope I'll be able to do a little bit against him."

Eugene and Cless were silent, not wanting to question Alex's mindset...

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_Lavard, two hours later..._

Valvus sat alone once more in his room, looking into a blue light viewer. He spoke something into the viewer, and Darius nodded. Seconds later, a second blue-light viewer appeared with Tribilin's face.

"Tribilin, Darius has informed me that you have something to report to me. What is it?" Valvus asked.

Tribilin shook his head. "My my, quick to get to the point, huh? Not very befitting of an emperor. Very well, I shall share my knowledge with you. After spending lots of _quality _time with the prisoners from the rebel faction, I finally have more than enough information on the rebels-including the name of their leader."

Valvus sat up in his seat. "You have the leader's name?! Speak, what is it?!"

Tribilin laughed loudly. "Oh, excuse me; it's just that the irony is so damn hilarious! The leader of the rebel forces is none other than your very own, once prized general, Nomvar Similob. And to top it off, his right hand man...or rather, woman, is his lover, Senza Alueman."

"_Nomvar and Senza_!?" Valvus exclaimed. For a minute, Valvus sat in silence, gripping his head from the shock. Darius too wore a look of shock, his eyes widened, but Tribilin just looked bored and disappointed.

"What, you're actually surprised, Valvus? What, did you think that Nomvar and Senza were just going to run away from Lavard, find some cottage in the middle of the woods, and stay there, screwing each other for the rest of their days? In that case, you are quite naive, Valvus. Nomvar had the power, name, and charisma to create his own rebellion. In fact, it would be hard for anyone else to do so without those things in this world."

Valvus took a deep breath to compose himself. "Normally, I would punish you for your words, but you do have a point this time. Still...it's hard to believe that those two are running the revolution. This doesn't change the plan at all, but still..."

"Yeah, yeah, we get the point. If you've gotten over your former prized general being one of your greater enemies in this war, I will share to you my other knowledge that I acquired from the rebels..."

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_Eight days later..._

The crew watched as they finally reached the shores of the Retzam Icecap. Alex gasped at the sight in front of him. For miles and miles, all he could see was ice, snow, and mountains, a dead world, one could call it. The wind then picked up, causing everyone on deck to shiver.

"I can't believe it....we actually made it here." One of the sailors commented, his eyes wide.

Genis could only nod. "Yeah. It feels like a dream right now, standing out here right in front of this place..."

Kanonno turned to face the group. "We need to hurry. We have to find the Descender artifact before we all freeze to death out here. We have enough supplies to last us a few days, but that's it. Once we find the artifact, we'll warp back to the ship, and then return to Depas."

"Got it." The group replied. Eugene faced Captain Nymes. "Captain, if we are not back in six days, then raise anchor and return to Depas. I only ask that you inform our comrades that we have not returned and to continue without us. I will give you some money right now in return."

Captain Nymes looked at the bag of money, and shook his head. "Keep it. I have confidence that you'll all return safely."

Eugene paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Understood, captain."

The crew lowered readied a ladder down to the ice below, and it hit the ice with a bang. Carefully, the group climbed down the ladder until they reached the ice, taking a few seconds to balance themselves. With one last look back, the group started walking from the sanctity of the ship to the unknown hostility of the Retzam Icecap...

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_Two evenings later..._

The party sat hunched up together around a fire inside a sturdy tent they had set up. Wrapped up in blankets, their teeth chattered together as the wind blew against the tent again, breathing a sigh of relief as it passed by. Alex, Kanonno, and Cless were mildly cold, while Genis and Stahn were absolutely freezing, shivering all over. Senel looked uncomfortable, but at least in better shape than the others, while Eugene and Veigue barely seemed to notice the temperature.

"Man, it's freezing out here! I heard it would be cold, but I had no idea that it would be _this_ cold! I'm going to turn into an icicle at this rate!" Stahn complained, shivering.

"Well, th-this is the Retzam Icecap. We're supposed to be in the coldest region of the world. This kind of cold is just to be expected. But still, thinking that way doesn't help the fact that it's so cold!" Genis added, shivering even more.

"Say, Senel, why aren't you as cold? You're wearing less than most of us, and that's saying something!" Cless asked.

"What, me? Well, I've been through very cold weather before back when I was on the seas in my world, plus I was in Gavada while I was in Terresia. I guess I just got used to it."

Veigue nodded. "Yes, it's the same with me. I've lived in a cold region my entire life, so I've gotten used to this weather, not to mention that me and Eugene spent some time in snow town close to the north end of the world."

Eugene nodded. "I guess this just shows that not all worlds that contain people have similar climates. Kanonno, what about you? Since you've been a general for a few years, I'd assumed you would be more accustomed to this kind of weather."

"Well...not really. I mean, yeah, I've been to the Northern Wastelands a few times before, but not that much. Darius was usually in charge of that region, while I handled Lavard, and Tribilin held Granvoise. Siltran took care of the southern areas of Scollance, so I was more used to a warmer climate." Kanonno explained.

"Siltran? You mean that fourth general, right? It's so strange that we've already fought halfway through Pasca, yet we haven't even gotten a single glimpse at him. Is there some sort of reason for that?" Genis asked.

Kanonno sat in thought. "I met with Siltran many times while I was in Lavard, but even back then he wasn't very active in his duties. He was only promoted to General a few months back, but still...He's Valvus' adopted son, more or less, so it could be some sort of paternal protection...but I doubt it. Valvus has always been confident in Siltran's abilities. I really don't know why, sorry."

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_Later that night..._

The wind had finally died down, leaving the tent warm enough for everyone to sleep. Kanonno was shifting on her spot when she heard a strange noise. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see Alex sitting by the fire, rubbing his hands.

_Huh? What's he doing up so late?_ Rubbing her eyes, Kanonno got up and moved over to Alex. "Alex? What's wrong?"

"Oh, did I wake you, Kanonno? I'm sorry. I tried to go to sleep, but my hands are so cold that I couldn't do it. I'm trying to warm them up, but no matter what I do, my left hand just refuses to warm up. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Alex explained, blowing warm air on his hand.

A look of concern passed Kanonno's eyes. She moved closer to Alex, and paused for a second. She then reached out, and held Alex's cold hand with her own hands. Alex's eyes widened, and he instantly blushed from the contact.

Seeing Alex's blush made Kanonno feel a bit embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry, Alex! Should I not have done that?"

"...No, its fine. Thank you, Kanonno. Your hands are really warm." Alex replied, smiling back to her.

Those words also brought a blush out of Kanonno, heat flushing up. "Is...Is that right?"

Alex nodded, and then sighed deeply. "It's so strange. Ever since the war began, that's all I've been able to think about. How it will end, what's happening in the present, my current situation and everyone else's...I haven't been able to think of anything besides that. But right now, at this place and time...I feel like I could just forget everything, and believe that everything is right with the universe. It's such a warm feeling...I can't think of the name for it, but it's just like I'm in a dream that I don't want to awaken to."

Kanonno smiled back. "I know. I'm feeling the same way as well."

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_The following morning..._

"Hey, you think they'll wake up?'

"Shh! Keep your voice down! They _will _wake up if your voice is that loud!"

"But you're being louder than he is."

"This is something you should not interfere with."

"I agree."

"But it's so amazing! This is something that I thought I'd never see!"

"At least be grateful none of the girls are with us, otherwise they'd never hear the end of it."

"Ah! They're awake!"

Alex and Kanonno shook their heads, eyes opening as they heard the voices around them. Yawning, their vision cleared to reveal the rest of the group looking right at them, each one with a strangely different look on his face. Stahn seemed to be smirking, Cless was restrained but smiling a bit, Senel was completely blank, Veigue was the same as always, Eugene had a slight smile to his lips, and Genis was smiling fully.

"Huh? What's up, you guys? What's with the faces?" Alex asked, still half-asleep.

"You're hiding something, aren't you? What is it?" Kanonno added.

Stahn still smirked. "Shouldn't you be telling us 'what we've been hiding from you guys?'"

"What are you-" Alex started, but as he looked at Kanonno, then looked down and gasped at the same time.

The two were still holding hands, having fallen asleep together. Alex and Kanonno blushed more than they ever had before in their lives, and quickly let go of each other.

Genis laughed a bit. "I had no idea the two of you were that close!"

Cless nodded. "Yeah, really! Congratulations to you both!"

Senel still looked clueless. "What's going on here?"

"N...No! You've got it all wrong! Alex and I aren't in a relationship of any sorts! Well, aside from being friends, yes. But we're not like that!" Kanonno frantically spat out.

_I've never seen Kanonno act this way before! It's kind of cute, actually...Gah! I'm just helping to fuel the fire!_ "That's right. My hand was freezing last night, so Kanonno offered to keep it warm with her hands. I guess we just fell asleep like that. The two of us are just friends and comrades" Alex explained, trying to be calm about it.

"We should start moving. The weather will pick again soon, and if we don't hurry now, we'll lose ground." Veigue said.

Everyone's mood turned serious again, getting to work on closing the tent. However, as Genis turned, he saw a small blush on Alex and Kanonno's face as they looked at each other, then it faded as they turned away. Genis smiled to himself for a bit, rolling his eyes.

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_The fourth day, around 4 o'clock._

The group looked up in awe at the building they were standing in front of. A large temple similar in size and build to the Ruins of Hamarabi lay in front of them. The temple was in even worse shape than the Ruins, having suffered thousands of years of enduring the snow's winds. The entrance was especially in disrepair, the frame all broken apart and crumbled.

"I had no idea it would be this big...it's incredible!" Genis commented, and then silently was thankful that his sister was not here to go all over the ruin.

"It doesn't look very sturdy, that's for sure." Senel added.

Kanonno approached the entrance. "Damn, it's being blocked by some debris. Eugene, do you think you can break it down?"

"Yes, leave it to me." Eugene replied. He walked over towards the debris. For a few seconds, he stretched his palm out, then lunged forward and smashed the debris away, clearing the entrance.

The group then walked through the entrance. Unlike the Ruins of Jezid, the rooms were completely dark, so Genis procured a torch from the vacuum-space sphere and lit it with a spell. The walls were more or less rather bland, having decayed a bit just like the outside.

Suddenly, Alex flailed his arms around as he felt himself step on ice. Kanonno grabbed him in time, managing to keep him up, and Genis raised his torch.

"What the!?" Stahn cried out. The rest of the hallway was just pure ice, completely obscuring the glory of the temple in its incredible density. There appeared to be something at the end of the hallway, but it was too far to see.

"This ice...it's just as strong as the ice I created when my Force awakened. No...It's even stronger than that." Veigue noted.

"What's that mean?" Cless asked.

Eugene shook his head. "It's not important. Stahn, try clearing it out along the way as you go."

"Got it, Eugene!" Stahn replied. He raised his sword, and used Infernal Torrent. The spread of flames melted the ice on impact, destroying a small fraction of it.

The group than continued walking, with Stahn leading and clearing out the ice as they went. Finally, they reached the end of the hallway, and looked up. An enormous ice stalagmite stretched all the way to the ceiling, greatly dwarfing the group. The stalagmite was so cold that even the stone on the ground had been completely sealed and hardened.

"That's huge! Can you take it out, Genis?" Kanonno asked.

"I'll give it a try! Alright here I..."

_Descender, why do you seek strength?_

Alex froze as he heard that voice. "Everyone, stop! Did you hear that?"

"...I didn't hear anything." Veigue replied.

Alex shook his head. "Strange. Maybe I'm imagining..."

_Descender, why do you seek strength?_

Alex gasped. "There it is again!"

Kanonno looked over towards Alex. "I don't hear anything. Are you sure you're alright, Alex?"

"...Everyone, this will sound strange, but please remain silent for one minute. Trust me." Alex said. He looked up at the stalagmite.

_Descender, why do you seek strength?_

_Who...who are you?_

_I am the guardian of this relic. I have been here for thousands of years, watching over the treasure that has laid here since. I answer to all that approach me...but this is the first time a Descender has come here._

_I see. I am Alex, Descender of Terresia. I've come here to..._

_Descender, why do you seek strength?_

_Huh?_

_Answer the question. Why do you seek strength?_

_...To protect the universe and everyone who lives in it. Something terrible is going to happen to this world, and if I do not get this strength, then I will not be able to protect everyone._

_That is a self-contradiction in its own right. I can see you...I can see your entire life in front of my eyes. You claim to have used this power to protect people, but aren't you just killing people with it? Your life is one of extreme bloodshed, one of a soldier. Your desire for strength is a selfish wish. And so..._

_...You're right. I have used this strength to kill people. It is what I hate most about it. I'm merely a weapon, designed to kill others in the name of protection. The bloodshed will never stop for me. But that's why I've come seeking this power! To ensure that this meaningless conflict ends! There are many evil people in the universe, it's true. But there are also so many good people as well! These people are the most precious thing in the universe! If I, an insignificant weapon, can stop these people from dying with my own life, then I'll do it! This strength...I desire this strength so that all these people can have the life that I cannot have! A life of bliss!_

_Well done. Well done, Alex of Terresia. Your heart is sincere in its desire and has proven itself to be completely selfless. Very well. I will let you have this relic...your strength. Use it to fulfill the very purpose you have spoken to me. I go now to rest in peace. Farewell._

_Wait, before you go, I have a question. What would you have done if I answered your question incorrectly?_

_...I would have killed you. I would summon up a light of my own that would completely evaporate you and your friends. I once did it to a group of archaeologists who came here a few months back, who were unable to answer the question. Goodbye, Alex of Terresia. I go now..._

Suddenly, the stalagmite melted completely, collapsing into a pool of water. The ice started melting off the walls as Alex gasped, taking a deep breath. The rest of the group stared at him in awe.

"Alex...what just happened?" Kanonno asked.

"...I'll tell you about it later. Let's go get the artifact first." Alex replied. He walked forward into the now opened chamber, and gasped at the sight in front of him.

A magnificent blade lay on an altar in the middle of the room. Surrounded by water, it had been preserved in the ice that had once blocked the room from entry. The blade had an elegant hilt, engraved in mythril and steel. The blade itself was a masterpiece, made of an unknown metal that was stronger than anything Alex had ever seen. Its sheaf sat next to it, also made from mythril.

Slowly, Alex walked towards the altar, eyes fixed on the sword. As he finally reached it, he took the Fencer's Sword from his belt and placed it into his vacuum-space sphere. He then reached out, and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Suddenly, he felt incredible power surging through him from the sword, the exact same feeling he felt from the Heaven's Guard. Kanonno gasped as she also felt the same power running through her body. Both could feel themselves growing stronger in every aspect, their internal mana capacity nearly doubling. Finally, the two glowed green for a second, and then it was over.

Alex panted to catch his breath from the surge he had just experienced. He then looked back at his sword.

"...Ragnarok."

Kanonno caught her breath, and looked up. "Ragnarok?"

"The name of this sword. No one told it to me, I just know it. Ragnarok..."

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_A few minutes later_...

The group had warped back to the deck of the ship, nearly giving the crew a heart attack. After a brief discussion, Captain Nymes agreed to sail back. While preparations were being made, Alex just stared at Ragnarok, looking it over.

"Incredible..."

Kanonno came over to him. "The sword?"

"It's not just the sword. The sword has _changed _for me. It's...it barely weighs anything at all...I can swing it much faster than I could with any other weapon. It's almost scary. And my powers...I can now create portals once every hour, and I can feel the destruction power inside of me has grown stronger too." Alex remarked.

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In his cabin, Captain Nymes' hands were shaking. He kept breathing again and again, marked with fear. He quickly took a swig of his flask to try and calm himself.

"It's almost time..."

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_Two hours later..._

The _Endurance _finally began docking in Depas port. Using his teleportation power, Alex had managed to create a portal back to Depas. However, the strain of making a portal that big had caused Alex to miss his mark a bit and land them an hour away from Depas. As the ship docked, the group saw Ad Libitum waiting for them, waving them back. Alex smiled, and returned the wave.

As the ship docked, the crew members threw down the ramp to the docks carelessly. "Well, thank you for your business." One member said.

"Huh? Where's the captain? I wanted to thank him." Kanonno said.

"Oh, er, he's just below deck at the moment. He'll be back soon." The crew member replied quickly.

"I see. Well, I'll be sure to thank him. Goodbye!" Kanonno replied. The group walked down the ramp, and hit the dock.

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Captain Nymes stood below deck, shaking more than he had before in his life. He stood next to a giant tarp, with a few crew members next to it, also shaking.

A crew member ran down. "Captain! They've exited the ship!"

"Are they in the proper range?" The captain asked.

The crew member nodded. "Yes, sir."

Captain Nymes nodded. "Then it's time. Let's do it."

"...Captain...are you sure about this? I'm alright if it's for the sake of Pasca, but you're..." Another crew member asked.

"Don't worry about me! As much as I am a man of the sea, I am as much a man of Pasca. It's a shame...I really liked those people. But for the sake of our world, I will go ahead with it. Thank you for standing by me all this time, men." Captain Nymes said, the shaking easing up a bit.

"Not at all, sir. It's an honor beyond belief to be beside you at this time." The second crew member replied.

Captain Nymes nodded. "Then it's settled. Godspeed to you, men! We'll see each other again very soon! _**Do it!**_"

The crew members nodded, and Captain Nymes lit a match. The crew members threw away the tarp, and Captain Nymes threw the match in where the tarp once was. He closed his eyes, and smiled.

He had just thrown his match at over 20 barrels of gunpowder.

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It was over so quickly.

The Endurance exploded with tremendous force, the entire ship gone in an instant. The group and the Ad Libitum members were all knocked away by the explosion, falling all over the place. Seconds later, war cries emerged from everywhere, and those standing gasped.

Literally thousands of soldiers had just come out of nowhere, from the nearby ships, the shops, the houses, even the rooftops. They all ran about and charged into the city.

The Ad Libitum members got up quickly, though painfully, as they saw the new soldier groups run into the city. Alex opened his eyes, seeing the attack around him. He tried to get up, but his back was too injured to move properly.

Jade frowned. "Damn, so that's what was going on! No wonder we took the city so easily!"

Kanonno's eyes widened. _Of course...the Pascans hid their main force in the city disguised as civilians, and then let us take the city with their support units! Then, once our guard was down, they would surprise attack us and take the city back! But I don't understand...why did they bother waiting so long, and why sneak att...Of course. Ragnarok! They were waiting for us to get Ragnarok so that they could take it for their own! The harbormaster and Captain Nymes were clearly part of the plan...damn it, we were tricked!_

UFTW soldiers started running towards the harbor, fleeing from the Pascans. Alex raised his head, and stretched his arm out. He quickly pictured Henos, and then stretched his arm out. Seconds later, the portal was formed.

"Everyone, run into the portal! You'll be in Henos! We'll retreat there and regroup our forces! Run, now!" Alex exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

Stahn had managed to stand up. "Alex, what about you? Don't you have to stay there to keep the portal open? You can't move!"

Kanonno started moving, though she also had trouble getting up. "I'll move him through...once everyone's evacuated, I'll take him through. Just go!"

Reluctantly, everyone started running towards the portal. Pascan soldiers noticed the retreat and ran towards the group, but more and more kept moving into the portal beyond harm. Some Pascan soldiers tried getting in, but Kratos guarded the portal from them, fighting them off as soldiers kept evacuating. Kanonno kept struggling to get up, getting stronger as she kept moving.

The main group from the ships started charging forward. Only another 300 had to get in, and Kratos kept fighting them off. Finally, Kanonno got on her knees, and screaming from the pain, managed to stand up. As the last of the soldiers went in, Kratos finally ran through, leaving Alex and Kanonno.

"Those two...it's the two General Hemoses described! Quick! Capture them! Do _not _kill them, no matter what!" A Pascan lieutenant announced.

Panicking, Kanonno grabbed Alex, and tried to get through. Suddenly, a soldier aimed something at Kanonno, and launched it at her. A rock from a slingshot hit Kanonno right in the back, and she fell to the ground. Alex then felt pure fear around him as the soldiers swarmed in.

_I can't...let them get the artifacts! I need to protect everyone!_

Alex then looked at the portal. He grabbed Ragnarok from his belt, and threw it threw the portal. He then took his vacuum-space sphere and Kanonno's, and rolled them through the portal. Finally, he grabbed his nearby shield, struggled to lift it, and threw it through the portal. With the last of his strength, he touched the portal, causing it to disappear before his eyes. Out of strength, Alex fell unconscious; the last sounds he heard were the boots of the Pascans approaching him.

All went black.

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_Unknown location..._

In a forest somewhere in Pasca, rustling was heard towards the edge, the sound of a sword cutting through. Animals ran away as someone exited the forest, though a few got a look.

A young woman of about 20 walked out of the forest. She was wearing steel armor from head to toe, a helm made for knights on her head. She had her sword sheathed on her right hip, and her shield on her back. The woman had brown hair that was cut short in a boyish manner, and green eyes that were currently scanning her surroundings. She was about four inches short of six feet. The woman looked around her, and reached in a sack she held. She pulled out a large book, and turned to page, pulling a writing utensil out. She closed her eyes, and then looked west.

"I've arrived...for real."

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**Hi everyone. Yeah...I have no excuse for this chapter's lateness. Just pure laziness. Also, my school life got hectic, so that also contributed to the matter.**

**Unfortunately, I will not have another chapter up for at least another month, as I'm leaving on a trip for a month where I won't have my computer. Sorry! As compensation, here's a short (edited) bit from the next chapter.**

_Alex looked around the room, paralyzed with fear as he couldn't move. He struggled to move, but the pain in his back still ached. He turned towards Kanonno, who also was shaking in fear. Just then, they heard footsteps outside the door, with something rolling alongside the person. The door opened, and as the person was revealed, the fear in Alex's body only grew worse. The man pulled a cart alongside him, filled with many demented looking instruments. The man looked down at the two, picked up one of the instruments, and smirked._

_"Heh heh heh heh heh...Now...let's begin, Descenders of Terresia and Pasca. I've waited for this day for ages!" Triibilin exclaimed, his smirk wider as he continued to laugh, bringing the intrument down towards Alex._

_Alex screamed at the top of his lungs._

**So how was this chapter? Unfortunately, it's about to get worse. Much worse. In fact, if you're reading this, I believe the next chapter will be rated M (for extreme violence). I am warning you right now for that very reason. With lack of a better note, until next time!**


	38. Author's Note: Important

**Hey there. This is Final Poke Mario Fan reporting here. I'm writing this to apologize to my fans for me taking so long with getting the next chapter ready. As you may or may not know, I was out of the country for almost all of July, and when I got home, my laptop decided to reward me by having the hard drive crash on me! As a result, I sent it to get repaired, and I should have it back in a few days. **

**I have access to my family's computer, but since the next chapter is going to be rated M, I don't feel comfortable writing something like that on this computer. So I haven't even begun work on the next chapter yet, and dealing with school and college application is also delaying me. However, here's some announcements that may cheer you up!**

**First: I have recently decided to split this story into two parts! Rather than have the story be 83 chapters like I originally planned, this story will end at Chapter 60, and continue as a second story called Radiant Mythology III: (gets tackled before I can announce the subtitle), which will be around 60 chapters as well, but I don't have it as well planned out as this story yet. I will announce the remaining arcs in this story, so those of you who don't want to guess what's coming next, avoid looking below!**

**Chapters 37-42: Ad Libitum Arc (the name will make complete sense in the arc)**

**Chapters 43-49: Western Scollance Arc**

**Chapter 50: Interlude #2**

**Chapter 51-54: Symphonia Arc**

**Chapter 55-60: Ending Arc**

**Alright, you can look now! Anyway, once I finish RM2, I will go to RM3 right away. Let's just say that it will be a different kind of story than RM2 is, but I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Next announcement: while I haven't worked on Chapter 37, I have been working on an Omake chapter in the meantime in order to give you guys something while you're waiting. I'll try putting it up soon, so be sure to be on the lookout for it!**

**Final announcement: Since you've waited a while for Chapter 37, I'll give you some brief tips on what it'll be like.**

**- It'll be a chapter that is completely different from my other chapters, focusing more on the characters than the story.**

**- A lot of it will be mental dialogue (delving into one characters thoughts to determine the action)**

**- It will be rated M for these reasons: extreme gore (involves a **_**lot**_** of torture), language (there will be more vulgar swearing than in most chapters) and sexual themes (nothing explicit, and it does not involve sex, but it does imagery related to it.)**

**Well, that's all I needed to announce for now. Once again, I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long, and I will work on Chapter 37 as soon as I get my laptop back.**

**-Final Poke Mario Fan**


	39. Chapter 37: Please Let Me Die

**Hi! Final Poke Mario Fan is here, with a new chapter for you to read! Well then, here it is!**

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Disclaimer: With the exception of my characters and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 37: Please Let Me Die

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M FOR EXTREME VIOLENCE, SEXUAL THEMES, AND STRONGER PROFANITY. THOSE OF YOU UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THESE THINGS MAY SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER, WHERE A SUMMARY LIES. **

**The only reason that I'm telling you this is because this is the only M rated chapter in the whole story (the rest are all rated T), so rather than change the whole rating of this story, I'm keeping it T.**

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(A/N: This chapter will be a big "experiment" chapter for me. By this, I mean that I'm going to test out some new forms of writing, which I believe will improve the quality of the story. For starters, instead of announcing where the scene takes place at the start of a scene break in italics, I've decided to omit that completely and instead say that in the context of the scene. Please tell me after this chapter what your opinion is of the new style.)

"Ugh..."

Alex opened his eyes, trying to get a sense of his self. As soon as he woke up, he felt a dull pain in his head, so he raised his hand to touch it, but found that something was holding him back. Everything seemed so fuzzy to Alex, and he shook his head, trying to get rid of the feeling.

_Huh? Where am I? What happened? Ugh, something's wrong with my head, I can't think straight. Wait a minute-that's right, the explosion! I got everyone away with my teleportation power, and then I just blacked out, I guess. Wait! Where's Kanonno?!_

Looking up, Alex observed the room he was in. It was pitch-black, making it impossible to see anything, but Alex saw a small amount of light coming from the north end of the room. He could feel that the ground seemed to be moving back and forth, and by touching the floor, he could tell it was a wooden room. His body felt light, and he slowly deduced that his armor had been stripped from him.

"Alex, are you awake?"

Alex perked up at the voice, and slowly turned to his right. He couldn't see anyone, but he could feel the presence of another person in the room with him. He turned his body around for a few seconds, and realized the presence was to his right. After a few more seconds, he suddenly remembered whose voice it was.

"Kanonno? Is that you?" Alex said slowly.

"Yes, it's me. I'm so glad you're alright. I woke up a while ago, and I wasn't sure if there was anyone else in the room until I heard you breathing. How are you feeling?" Kanonno said.

Alex shook his head, "My body feels weak, and I can't think straight. Where are we?"

"We're on board a Pascan military ship. We were captured after the explosion in Depas, and the military is taking us away. No doubt we'll be sent to Lavard. Valvus wouldn't miss the chance to finally get us after all that." Kanonno said.

"What?! Then we've got to get out of here! I'll form a portal!" Alex shouted. He closed his eyes and looked into his body. He found the teleportation mana, and started gathering the power in his hands. He began thinking about his destination...

...and then suddenly, the power died down as his mind became blurry. Alex gasped, and took deep breaths. He gathered the power once again, but when he came to the destination point, he once again lost his power, "Wh-what?! I can't summon a portal!" _What's wrong with me? I just lost concentration all of the sudden there!_

"Huh? Why not?" Kanonno said.

"It's like, whenever I think about where to teleport us, I just can't think straight. My head feels very muddled up, like something's slowing it down," Alex said.

Kanonno gasped, "Wait a minute. Alex, what does the rest of your body feel like? Is it slow? Do you have problems thinking straight or moving?"

Alex tested out what Kanonno said, "Now that you mention it, you're right. There's something wrong with my head, it feels like it takes forever to think about everything. And my body is slow as well."

"I knew it. Alex, you've been drugged," Kanonno said.

Alex gasped, "W-What?! How? When? I...oh."

"You get it, right? You've been unconscious for a while now, which gave the Pascans enough time to feed you drugs in your sleep. The drugs are slowing your mind down and ruining your concentration. You've told me that your destructive and warping powers require you to concentrate heavily before, right? They must have drugged you so you wouldn't be able to use either," said Kanonno.

"But how did they know about that?" Alex asked.

"Have you forgotten, Alex? Valvus was the one who originally possessed your teleportation power. He has also been using it for a _much _longer period of time than you have, so he knows all about it," Kanonno said, sighing.

It took Alex a few seconds to register this. When he did, he began shuddering.

_No...So I can't use my powers in captivity? How are we going to escape? Kanonno said we're being taken to Lavard-that's way too far for any of our allies in the UFTW! The closest agents we have there are probably members of the Green Blades, but there's no way Nomvar can get in contact with them-he doesn't even know we're captured. So-that means we're stuck like this? This is how it's going to end?_

_No way! I can't let that happen! I won't die like this! I need to save Terresia from Valvus! Heh, this is so ironic. At the point where I finally will see Valvus, I am absolutely powerless to do anything. I can't die now. I can die after I've killed Valvus. So until then, I must stay alive!_

Just then, the door to the rest of the ship opened. The bright light practically seared Alex's eyes, and he shut them tight. He heard the sound of several boots entering the room, or about three or four men, Alex deduced.

"Sir! It seems that the man has finally woken up!" One of the voices said, belonging to a young man.

"Yes, you're right. It seems that he's still under the influence of the drug, but it's starting to wear off. Prepare another set," The second voice said, this one of an older man in his forties.

"Yes sir!" The first voice said. Alex adjusted his eyes to the light enough to make out the shapes of the three men, one who just ran off. The second man was tall, while his companion was slightly shorter. The third man moved closer to Kanonno.

"Sergeant Weile! What are you doing?' The second man said, his voice firm.

"What does it look like? There's a woman prisoner here, right? And we've been out fighting so long; I haven't gotten a good fuck in a long time. Might as well start here, right?" The third man said. Kanonno gasped, and Alex tried to move in his chains.

_No-NO!_

The second man walked over to Weile, and punched him right in the face, knocking him to the floor, "_Absolutely not!_ There are very good reasons for this! One, unless you've forgotten, _Sergeant_Weile, everyone on this ship has been given strict orders to _never _touch the woman! Second, even if they are our prisoners, they should never be treated like that! Prisoners do not exist to please the enemy!"

"Tch, that's just your own fucking opinion! Who cares if we've been given orders to not do anything! What they don't know won't harm them, right?" Weile said, smirking.

The second man punched Weile again, "Sergeant Weile, are you aware of the one who issued these orders?"

"Why should I give a shit? It's just some damn higher-up, right? So then-"

"These orders have come from General Hemoses-Tribilin," The second man explained.

Weile's face went pale immediately, and his legs began to shake, "G-General Hemoses?"

"That's right. Tribilin was the one to issue these orders. Now, you're a soldier, so you're probably aware of this, but any soldier who disobeys an order that comes from a general will receive his punishment directly from that general himself. I may not be him, but I'm positive that Tribilin comes up with some very..._creative_ways to punish disobedient officers. But you know, that's me talking to you. What am I saying? Go on ahead and have your 'good fuck'. I'm pretty sure it will all be worth it in the end when Tribilin finds out about this," The second man said.

Weile was covered in sweat, terror striking his eyes. Shakily, he turned away from Kanonno and walked back towards the door, "I-uh, I, ch...cha, changed my...my mind, sir!"

"Very good. It seems you understand," The second man said. At that time, the first man came running back, holding a tray.

"Sir! I've brought the drugs!" The first man said.

"Good work. I'll handle the rest," The second man said. He took the tray, and approached Alex. Alex's eyes widened as the man approached him, preparing the drugs.

_I can't run away! No! Stay away, stay away, stay away, STAY AWAY!_

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It was a rather quiet day in the Lavard town of Asquel. The sky was overcast as the streets were soaked in rain. The lights were on in the city despite the fact it was only two o'clock in the afternoon. Even the shops were mostly closed, only a few indoor ones remaining unlocked. The usually populated town square was empty, the wind being the only companion to the statue of the town's founder in the square. Most of the people were either at home or in bars right now, laughing away.

A small inn sat near the far right end of town, very quiet. Only the owner, an old man, stood in the lobby, his brown eyes looking out the window at the gloomy rain. The lobby was rather typical of an inn like this, with wooden walls and floors, and a few chairs and tables in the corner for guests to eat at. A fire roared in the middle of the room, flanked by two chairs, lonely as ever. The innkeeper sighed.

_No customers today. Well, it's been getting harder and harder to travel with the war, but still, I expected at least a few to be traveling right now, what with the war getting more intense in West Scollance. Well, winter's almost over, anyway. Maybe I'll see more customers in spring and-_

Just then, the door opened, causing the innkeeper's heart to jump in surprise. Turning to the cause, his eyes laid on a young woman of about 25 years of age with brown hair. Her body was soaked from the rain, and she panted slightly as she entered. The innkeeper noticed she was wearing armor, and had a sword strapped on her left thigh. Looking around, she nodded to herself, and walked over to the innkeeper.

Breaking out of his stupor, the innkeeper smiled, "Welcome to my inn, young lady. How may I help you?"

The young woman nodded, "I was wondering if I could stay here for the night. It's raining really hard, so I need to stop here and rest. Is that alright?"

"Yes, of course! It'll be four gold coins for a room," The innkeeper said. The young woman reached into a sack she carried, and seemed to mess around with it for a while. She frowned, but finally pulled out the four gold coins.

"Thank you. Your room is on the second floor, first to the right. Here is your key. Please enjoy your night," The innkeeper said, giving her the key.

The woman took the key, revealing her green eyes as she moved closer to the innkeeper, "Thank you."

The innkeeper watched as the woman turned around, walked up towards the stairs, and ascended. When she was out of sight, the innkeeper frowned slightly.

_What a strange traveler._

Entering her room, the woman lay down on her bed, and sighed. Feeling how wet she was, she moved to her sack, opened it up. After a few seconds, she pulled out some new clothes, and laid them out on the bed. A few minutes later, she finished changing into a much more ordinary set of clothes, and she sat down.

_Phew. It's a good think I took those coins before I set out. I'll need to make sure that I spend it wisely, or I'll be bankrupt before I even reach my destination. At least I can take comfort that the creatures here aren't hostile._

The woman opened the sack, revealing a vacuum-space sphere. She pulled out a map of Pasca, and rolled it open. She began looking at Lavard, then pointed her finger at Asquel, and then traced it up towards the capital.

_Okay...it'll take a month for me to reach the castle at this rate. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like I stick out too much, so I shouldn't have a problem getting to there. But getting through will be a greater challenge...No, I shouldn't worry about that right now. I'll cross that bridge once I get to it._

A frown formed on the woman's face, and she looked closer at the map.

_I have to accomplish this mission. No matter what._

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In a dark, endless realm, Prophet was chained up on a crystal tablet, his body as stiff as a board. Internally, the two minds were arguing.

_Look at what's happened! This is all your fault! It's your fault that Alex and Kanonno were captured! _The higher-pitched voice said.

_**What are you talking about? I had nothing to do with it at all. Those two fell into that trap because they were naive. They should have been suspicious when the boat captain only accepted half of the fee, but they didn't even notice a thing. Now how can you say it's my fault?**_ The deeper voice said. (A/N: From now on, Prophet's deeper voice will be represented with black italic speech.)

_Because you were the one who got us into this state! If you hadn't fed Alex false information, we wouldn't have been chained up by the Soul as punishment! And because you cast Blizzard with your power right before I was about to warn him, you wasted up our mana! We can't recharge for another two months because of that, so we can't see him, so we couldn't warn him about the trap! That's why it's your fault! _The high-pitch voice exclaimed.

_**Well, of course the enhanced Blizzard was intentional. If I didn't, Alex would have figured out the trap. Well, he survived, so it really didn't matter in the end. And of course I planned out punishment. Otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. Besides, being able to see things like this is better than us being dead, isn't it?**_ The deeper voice said.

_Don't avoid the topic! Now that those two have been captured, we can't do anything! Absolutely nothing! If those two die, I'll..._ The high-pitch voice started.

_**Don't be stupid. Those two are not going to be killed.**_ The deep voice interjected.

_Huh?_

_**Think about it. Those two are the only Descenders left in the universe, and they're being sent straight towards Valvus. Do you honestly think he would kill the two with their incredible powers? No, of course not. He's going to make them his test subjects, research them and their powers for a long period of time. So they won't die. What they're about to face is much worse than that...**_

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Several days later, the ship docked in at a port city close to Lavard. Alex and Kanonno were taken from the dark room and placed in two carriages. Alex's eyes were covered in a blindfold so that he couldn't see where they were.

"Why do you think they covered his eyes and not the woman's?" One of the carriage riders spoke to the leader of the unit.

"Emperor Goden says the man has some sort of teleportation power that allows him to teleport to locations he's seen already. In case he manages to escape back to the UFTW and he saw any of these places, he might create a portal and send the whole UFTW here and attack the capital. But if his eyes are blinded, then he won't be able to do it," The leader said.

The rest of the trip remained uneventful, so Alex tried to take in the sounds around him, but couldn't get a good feel of what was around him. With not much choice, he went to sleep...

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The UFTW was currently holding a meeting in Henos, gathered around a map of the Northern Wastelands. They were looking down, tracing several points with a stick. After a minute, Jay looked up.

"So that's the plan. We'll attack Depas again in two days. We have to increase the intensity of our attack, but we know the structure this time, so we won't have any trouble figuring out where the basis point of attack will be. By flanking on the left and right, we'll lock them down, and then head in through the center," Jay said.

Genis looked at one point at the map. "Won't we have problems with the archer fire from this side?"

"We've decided to use the mages group in that area. If we can counter the enemy fire with our mages, then we should be able to negate them altogether," said Jay.

"And what about Alex and Kanonno? They've probably been taken out of the city, right?" Cless said.

Jade nodded, "Most likely. There is a very small chance they're in the city, but the more likely case is that they're being shipped off to Lavard or a prison somewhere. Nevertheless, they are not the main focus of the operation. Our goal is to retake Depas, not worry about the survival of two soldiers."

"So, what should we do if we don't find them?" Colette asked.

Kratos spoke, "Then we'll mark them as KIA. While they probably are still alive, if they've really been captured, they're more or less dead to us. Once we confirm if they're in the city or not, we'll move on down south out of the Wastelands back into Western Scollance. We'll meet up with the rest of the UFTW there and conquer the region, then attack the capital. That is all. Dismissed."

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Alex looked up, dazed. He was in a massive room, but his head was too clogged to take it all in. Besides, there was something else in the room that was catching his full attention.

In front of him, sitting on his throne, was Valvus. He looked down on Alex and Kanonno, both who were chained and restrained by the soldiers. His face was calm and emotionless, as he studied both of their faces. He then looked directly into Alex's eyes, capturing his movements. Finally, he looked up.

"Good work, Captain Marshieu. You accomplished your task perfectly, and for that, I am proud of you," Valvus said, smiling at the man.

Captain Marshieu almost smiled, but then remembered something, "No, Emperor Goden, I have failed you in one area. The man here managed to throw the sword and shield he had through his portal before he closed it. I understood you asked me for those, so I am prepared to face the punishment."

Valvus frowned for a second, but then shook his head, "Well, it doesn't matter. If they're not in the hands of either of those two, then their full power cannot be used by anyone else. You have still succeeded in bringing these two back, along with your unit. I have thus decided to increase the rank of everyone in your unit by two ranks."

Captain Marashieu's eyes widened, "Emperor Goden, I...no, I can't accept it. My unit deserves the promotion, but I have done nothing. It was thanks to the sacrifice of Captain Nymes that we were able to capture them in the first place. All I did was wait at the ship and brought them back. An honor like this does not befit a man like me."

"It's true that without Captain Nymes, we would never have caught those two, but it was _your_men that were the ones whom acted quick and took them out in time. I've heard that had your unit not acted fast enough, those two would have escaped. Surely you don't think you weren't partially responsible for their speed, right? So I implore you, please accept the promotion," Valvus said.

"If-if that is the will of my emperor, then I will accept it," Captain Marcieu said, kneeling even further.

Valvus walked up to him, "Then rise, Colonel Marcieu. You are dismissed now. I will hear your full report later."

"Yes, Emperor Goden," Colonel Marcieu said. He bowed, and turned to walk out of the room, leaving Alex and Kanonno alone with Valvus, with the exception of the guards restraining them. Valvus walked down the steps of the altar, and approached Kanonno.

"Ah, Kanonno. Welcome back, _traitor_," Valvus began, staring down at Kanonno.

Kanonno snarled at him, "What 'traitor', Valvus?! You were the ones who captured me and used State Jemummu Recovery on me to seal away my memories and make me become Belladonna! There is no such thing as a traitor who has been brainwashed from her own ideals!"

Valvus shook his head, "I'm not talking about State Jemummu Recovery or Belladonna. I acknowledge that both of those were our doings. I was welcoming back the traitor to Pasca."

"W-what?" Kanonno said, her eyes frozen.

"Don't try to deny it. Kanonno, you are the Descender of Pasca, remember? As I recall correctly, Descenders are supposed to protect their world and its inhabitants from danger, right? But just look at you now. Day by day, you have slaughtered many of your own people," Valvus began.

Kanonno gasped, and her voice grew shaky, "No...stop it. Please stop it!"

"You don't even have an excuse this time, do you? Unlike last time, Pasca is not fighting itself out of greed! Pasca is defending itself from invaders who came into the world unannounced and who have viciously slaughtered thousands of our own people! By all means, you should be with us, fighting the ones who have destroyed our homes, our families, and our means of life! But no...You've been siding with the very same people who are destroying that which you have sworn to protect. A woman like you who has turned her back on the most sacred of oaths like you is the worst kind of traitor," Valvus finished.

Kanonno collapsed to the floor, sobbing, "No...it's not true...it's not true! I...I...I'm just...."

Valvus left her sobbing there, and walked over to Alex, "So, Terresian Descender. We meet once more after all this time. How do you like the warp power? Pretty convenient, isn't it. It allows you to slaughter my people so much easier, doesn't it?"

Alex glared at Valvus. Even with his mind drugged, his rage was still iron hot, "Valvus! You bastard...you started all of this! This whole damn war, this bloodshed, everything that has happened here, it's your entire fault!"

Valvus frowned at him, "Please, tell me how any of this war is my fault and not yours."

"What the hell are you talking about? You were the one who attacked Terresia without warning! You were just after our mana from the World Tree! If you hadn't done that, then we wouldn't have ever had to start this war!" Alex growled.

"Even though I lost my warp power?" Valvus said.

Alex stopped, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever stopped to think about it once? The only way that I got here was because I used my warp powers to escape Gilgulim and controlled it to land in Terresia. It is true that we did attack your world. But at the conclusion, you stole my warp powers, therefore leaving me unable to warp ever again. That means I would never have been able to return to Terresia, and thus, you wouldn't have ever been attacked again. There would never have been any war," Valvus said.

Alex's heart began pumping in realization of what Valvus was saying, "No...you attacked us...we..."

"Are the both of you really that much in denial? Then think of it this way, Terresian Descender. Let's say a soldier attacks another soldier by the side of a cliff. During the fight, one soldier knocks the other soldier down the cliff. The second soldier survives and can still fight, but his legs are broken and he has no way of getting back up. The first soldier, rather than leave the wounded soldier alone since he poses no threat, chases after him and continues the fight. Our situation is exactly the same. So let me ask you; why did you attack us when you knew that we had no way of attacking you again?" Valvus asked.

Alex's face paled, "B-but, you're planning on using the Descender Artifacts to do something! We can't just leave that alone!"

"Did you even know that the artifacts existed when you headed for Pasca?" Valvus said.

"W-well..."

Valvus sighed, "I thought so. So to sum up our argument, you had no clue that we were searching for the Descender Artifacts, knew that I had lost my warp power and couldn't get back to Terresia, and therefore you knew that you and your people were safe. But you still chose to attack us, and because of that, not only have thousands of Terresians and Pascans died, but so have people from other worlds that you recruited. Therefore, this entire war and bloodshed is completely _your_ fault. Had you not declared war, none of those soldiers would have died."

_It-it can't be! I'm the one responsible for this war?! He's lying. He must be lying! I can't accept this! But no-no, he's right. I am the one who caused this war. I should have realized that Pasca wouldn't be able to fight us back. But then, what about the Descender Artifacts? Yeah, Valvus would have gotten them easily had we not intervened! No, that's no excuse. It's all true, I'm the one who did this, I'm the sinner here! All this death, all of this destruction, it's all my fault! _

Alex fell down to the ground, sobbing as well. Valvus looked at him for a few seconds, and then walked back up the stairs. He turned to the soldiers, "Soldiers, take these two to the dungeon. Bring them to Room 158."

The soldiers nodded, and dragged the two with them. Alex's eyes were blindfolded again, but this time, he was too lost in his own thoughts to care where he was going...

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"General, we've brought them here," One of the guards said.

"Heheheheheh, excellent. Leave them here, and I'll handle the rest. Go away," A second voice said, one that Alex thought sounded familiar. He heard the footsteps of the guards leave the room they were in, until they faded completely.

Alex felt his body being lifted up onto some sort of stone table. His legs were then locked into place, and his handcuffs were removed. Before Alex could react, his arms were pinned down and placed into two more locks. His blindfold was removed, and he glared at the sight in front of him.

Tribilin was standing over Alex's body, grinning maliciously. Next to him was a cart that was covered in some sort of utensils that Alex couldn't make out. He saw he was in another dark room with a light over him. Several feet away to his right was Kanonno, locked in some sort of restraining device. Alex then noticed that he was also locked in the same device, and he had been stripped naked. Several other people in strange medical gear surrounded the room.

"Tribilin...you bastard!" Alex exclaimed.

"What, is that the best you can come up with? You know, we haven't seen each other in almost four months! I was hoping that you have thought of something much more creative to call me! Well, it really doesn't matter, I guess. You know why, Terresian Descender? Because you're trapped, far away from any of your friends. And you're my prisoner from now on...hahahahahahaha!" Tribilin said, gleefully looking down on Alex.

Alex spat on Tribilin's face in rage. Tribilin merely glanced at the saliva, and licked it off his face, "Now, now, Terresian Descender, that's not really a smart idea. Do you want to know why not? Because that's only going to make what you're about to face so _much_ worse. Oh yes, yes...much, much worse."

"What are you going to do, Tribilin? The same thing you did to Mormo? My death will hardly make a difference," Alex snarled.

Tribilin paused, and started laughing hysterically, "No no no no no! What would I ever gain from killing you! You're to fun to play around with, Terresian Descender! No, what I have in store for you is so much worse! You're going to be locked down here forever as we look over every inch of your body! Your screams are going to be the most melodious song that I have ever heard! I'll let you in on a secret, Terresian Descender: there are many things far worse than death."

Alex began to panic, "I'll...I'll never give in to you! I will get out of here!"

"AHAAHAHAAH! Ah, how many times I've heard those words. And how will you do that, Terresian Descender?! There's no one around to save you! You are completely powerless as you are right now, and you can't even move! You know what's going to happen to you here? You are going to _break_under me! Within a few days, you'll practically be begging for death! That optimism of yours will shatter, and your entire mind will be lost!" Tribilin exclaimed.

Tribilin then walked over to his cart, and picked up something, "But I've spoken long enough, Terresian Descender. All the pain you've faced in your life will be nothing compared to this! Shall we begin?"

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Tribilin pulled out a knife, and slashed it across Alex's chest slowly. Alex screamed as he felt the pain just shoot out of him. Tribilin smiled even more, and placed the knife down for a second. He brought his hands forward, and brought his fingers down on the wound.

Alex's screaming grew worse and worse as he felt the pain getting sharper and sharper as Tribilin probed him. Finally, Tribilin pushed down with enough strength that he opened the wound completely. The screaming grew louder and louder.

Tribilin returned to the cart, and pulled out a very thin knife. He stuck it back into the wound, and kept probing back and forth over and over again. Hot tears began to roll down Alex's eyes.

The knife started to move past the wound, and started stretching further and further down his chest. Tribilin moved his knife like a master, making sure to dodge all of Alex's vital organs. Tribilin retracted the knife when he reached Alex's navel. Alex's screams became even louder, and Tribilin laughed.

"What, is that all you can take, Terresian 'Descender'? I've faced many more people in my life that lasted much longer! But don't worry; we've still got a few more hours to go of this!"

Tribilin then swung the knife down on Alex's arm. It passed straight through the skin, and hit Alex's bicep. Alex let out an even greater scream as he felt more pain than he did from the chest. Looking up as his body, he realized there was not a single ounce of blood on him.

_HOW...HoW...hOw AM i NOt bLeEdiNG!? ThEre'S SO MuCH Pain! whY Is THerE no BloOD!?_

Tribilin pushed the knife even further, and Alex lost all control he had, and screamed once more. He could faintly hear Kanonno crying and begging to stop, but he couldn't even think about it. Just then, Tribilin just stopped short of piercing his bicep, and let a quick slash down the rest of his arm. Alex's whole body shuddered, and he struggled to free himself.

Tribilin then placed his knife down, and began to work on his leg. He raised his arms up, and smashed down on Alex's leg. Alex screamed once more as he felt his whole leg shatter, his bones remaining as fragments. Tribilin then took out another utensil-Alex had stopped keeping track of them-and slashed down on him.

Alex then felt his body relieve itself on the table, the smell of the contents of his bladder filling the room. The stench was so great that Alex felt his stomach sicken up, and he vomited all over himself. Alex lost his mind for a few minutes, for there was so much pain he couldn't even tell where Tribilin was going next.

By the time Alex felt his body relieve the pain somewhat, he looked up and gasped. His entire body had been slashed all over, lines covering his limbs and chest. He looked somewhat like a doll that had seems all over it, but none of the stuffing was released. There was still no blood. At this point, Alex had suffered so much pain he couldn't even remember what it felt like to not be in pain.

Tribilin walked forward, and grinned, "Ready for the grand finale, Terresian Descender!? Then let's begin!"

Tribilin raised his hand over Alex's chest, and started descending. Kanonno saw this, and screamed, "_TRIBILIN! PLEASE DON'T!!!!!!"_

"_**BLOODFEST EXPLOSION!**_" Tribilin slammed his hand down just near Alex's heart.

His body exploded. Well, that wasn't accurate. It was more like he unraveled. All of the wounds Tribilin had inflicted on him suddenly exploded as tons of blood poured out of Alex's body, flowing down his body. His skin became dyed red, only his head spared from the mess.

Alex let out a roar of agony, tears like none other searing down his face. He soon lost his breath, and could not even whimper in face of this pain. He wasn't feeling pain. He _was _pain.

He quickly looked down at his chest, which had been opened by that attack. He could see all of his organs in front of him- his exhaling lungs, the small sack he called his stomach, his intestines that resembled sausages, his tiny kidneys, the inside of his abdomen, and most of all, his beating, red heart. His heart was beating very fast, and Alex felt faint just looking at it.

"Now, then Pascan Descender, it's your turn. Men, feel free to poke and prod with the Terresian Descender's body as much as you'd like, just don't kill him! First, _**REVERSE FLOW!**_"

Tribilin slammed his hand on the skin to the side of his heart, and the flowing stopped. Alex had lost a lot of blood, but not enough to die. Alex looked at his red painted body in horror. Overwhelmed by the sight, the stench, and most of all, the _pain_, Alex fell unconscious, but not quick enough to avoid hearing Kanonno screaming...

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Alex lay in a completely dark cell in the dungeon, chained to the wall. His body ached all over, and his mind was as blurry as always, restrained by the drug. In the past three days since he'd arrived here, he'd tried to use his teleportation power, but found that it was useless.

_There's no way out. We've already been here for several days, and there's no sign of help. The drugs are keeping me restrained, and I haven't seen Kanonno much. This is hell...I'd heard stories of Tribilin's tortures, but I didn't realize they'd be this painful! Still, we may still have a chance of escaping!_

Just then, the door opened. Alex turned, and paled when he saw Tribilin in the doorway. Alex's eyes widened, and his body instinctively shook. If he didn't fear Tribilin before, he sure did now.

"Good morning, Terresian Descender! Today is quite nice, don't you think? Ah well, why should I even bother talking to you? Ready for today's treatment?" Tribilin said. Two guards came out from behind him, and came up to Alex. They freed him from the chains, then handcuffed him and took him to the entrance. Alex's knees buckled slightly, his muscles weakining from lack of use.

_What does Tribilin have in mind for today? It seems that he gets worse with every day! I thought it was bad enough with the knife torture on the first day, but the needle torture yesterday was even worse!_

Alex shuddered, and his body instinctively followed the guards to a torture chamber. Alex looked at this one. Unlike the other ones, there was no table restraining device. Instead, there were some chains on the wall several feet from the ceiling. The guards lifted Alex up to the wall, locked his legs in, freed him from the handcuffs, and locked his arms across from each other, then his neck. Alex looked at Tribilin.

"So, what's today's torture? Needles again?" Alex said.

Tribilin laughed at him, "Torture?! Terresian Descender, this is art, don't you see? I am an artist, and your body is my canvas! My utensils are the paintbrush, and your screams are the melody which I conduct! You should feel privileged to become a part of my collection! But, as to answer your question, I'm not going to do anything to you."

Alex's eyes widened in confusion, "W-what?! Nothing!"

"Yeah, nothing! Heheheheehheeh! I'm just going to leave you there for a while, but rest assured, I'm not going to touch you today. Just stay there, relax, and enjoy the fact that you won't be feeling any pain today! Just know that on other days won't be like this. Guards! Let's go! We're leaving!" Tribilin said. With that, he and the two guards turned away from Alex, and walked over to a door in the same room, leading to another door. They left it open.

Alex faced forward with confusion. _Huh? What's going on? It's not just like Tribilin to be generous like that regarding torture. What could he be...?_

And then Alex heard it.

A scream. A very familiar scream of a young woman. The sounds were coming from behind the opening in which the guards left open. The clanking of metal was heard, and a few seconds later, the screams continued.

_KANONNO! I've got to help her! _Alex struggled against the restraints that bound him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free, the strength he was used to virtually gone. Kanonno's screams increased in volume, a sound that Alex could barely stand to hear. Mustering all the strength he could, Alex tried to break free, but it was no use once again.

Kanonno screamed more. _I can't break free, and I can't stand hearing Kanonno suffering like this!_

Alex tried to move his hands to cover his ears, but to his horror, he realized his arms were stretched out, and he couldn't move them anywhere near his ears. Rattling again and again, Alex made no progress.

"_ALEX! HELP ME! ALEX!_"

Alex gasped. Realizing this was exactly what Tribilin wanted, Alex's face lowered. He wanted desperately to cry out to her, but he realized that doing so would just give her false hope. He began sobbing as he lay on that wall for hours, hearing Kanonno's screams and her cries for help...

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Two days later, Alex was once again in his cell. As he lay down, he continued to think.

_What point is there for Tribilin to do this?! How can someone feel so much pleasure from hurting people and hearing them scream?! I don't understand this, no, I _can't_understand this! Is this what Mormo went through when he was killed here? I've been dissected, just like he was...yet Tribilin is making sure I don't die! Why!?_

Just then, the cell door opened. Alex looked up, and saw Tribilin walking in, along with a guard who held a food tray. Tribilin kneeled down towards Alex, and the guard put the tray down next to him.

"Good morning, Terresian Descender. Today, I have something very special in mind for you. You're about to receive an _incredible_experience-one that you'll never forget! Doesn't that sound exciting to you?" Tribilin said.

"You mean another damn torture? I've lost track of how many ways you've done that to me," Alex dully said.

Tribilin shook his head, "Why, of course not! I don't intend to torture you at all today!"

"Then forcing me to listen to you torture Kanonno for several fucking hours again? You're running out of ideas, Tribilin," Alex said.

Tribilin sighed, "You really are dull, aren't you? No, today's main event will be something much more exciting! But before that, why not have a meal?'

Alex watched as Tribilin took a loaf of bread from the tray, and brought it over to Alex's face. Alex tried to keep his mouth shut, but Tribilin pried his mouth open and shoved the loaf down Alex's mouth, forcing him to chew it.

_More bread. More drugs. Well, it could be worse, I guess. The food could have been utter crap, rea...huh?_

Alex paused eating for a second. He could normally taste the drugs in his own food, and they tasted the same every day. But today was different. It was slight, but Alex realized there was something else mixed in with the drugs today. Tribilin noticed he stopped eating, so he pushed the bread even further, forcing Alex to swallow the rest.

Alex looked up at Tribilin, "What...what's in the bread? What is it?!"

"Why, it's just to help with today's surprise event, of course! Well, now that you've finished, I guess it's time. Guards! Take him to the chamber!"

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(**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS SCENE IS THE MAIN REASON THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RATED M. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT, THEN PLEASE SKIP DOWN TO THE NEXT SCENE.)**

Alex was tied up to another restraining device in a chamber, and had been stripped completely naked. Unlike the other ones, this one was upright, and stood slightly to the right of the center of the room. The room was completely dark, save for a single light that illuminated the center of the room. Looking down, Alex frowned as he saw a strange device directly below him. The device appeared to be mechanical, but contain a large amount of water in it. However, the water was very cold, for Alex could just feel freezing air come off of it.

Tribilin stood up in the northern end of the room, fiddling with something. He kept looking up and down, as if waiting for something to happen. Finally, he darted his head up, and smiled at what he saw. He then grinned, and he walked over to Alex, who tried to look away.

_What? What's this all about? Is he going to...?_

Alex didn't get another thought out, for at that moment, Tribilin's palm glowed, and he thrust it at Alex's chest. Alex gasped in pain as he felt Tribilin push his hand slightly. Alex closed his eyes, expecting to see him bleeding all over again, but when he opened them, he looked no different. Rather, he was feeling some strange sensation in his blood, one that he couldn't explain. His heart began to beat faster and faster, and he stared at Tribilin.

"What...what did you just do to me, you bastard?" Alex said.

Tribilin shook his head, "Terresian Descender, do you really take me for an idiot? What kind of reason _do _I need to hit you? Anyway, it's about time. Guards! Let's begin!"

Alex suddenly heard a noise coming from directly ahead of him. He braced himself, preparing for anything Tribilin had to throw at him.

_Destroy it. What you cannot see is a threat._

Alex's head darted at that voice that sounded just like him, but he didn't have time to react as the source of the sound came into view. Two guards rolled forward a restraining device the same as Alex's. On that device was Kanonno, who had a sad view on her face. She too had several wounds all over her face, and her eyes had less life in them than usual. But Alex noticed none of that. There was something else that had caught his attention.

Kanonno was completely naked.

In his short life as a Descender, Alex had never seen a woman naked before. A part of him wanted to shut his eyes, to look away from that sight, telling him, _It's Kanonno, don't look!_

But a greater part of him looked at her body in awe. He observed her beautiful body, her fine build, her well toned legs, her thighs, her breasts, and her abdomen. Alex could not help looking at her, and a feeling he had never felt before began welling up in him. His breathing began to quicken, began to grow loud, as he wildly kept looking at her body. The sound of his heart beating loudly banged in his ears.

That part of him begging to look away was swiftly being killed off, as this new emotion began to fill him with an almost ecstatic pleasure. It filled him everywhere, his senses, his mind, his heart, all of it. Alex still could not explain what this emotion was, but it felt so _good_. His breath continued to quicken, and Kanonno looked at Alex in shock. Still he noticed none of that.

Looking at her breasts and abdomen, his breath became even louder. To him, the guards and Tribilin had completely disappeared. All that was there were him and her. A smirk grew over Alex's lips, and he felt himself wanting to burst free from that device and just dash to her in a beast-like manner.

His body began to rock back and forth as he tried to break out of his restraints, over to her. The excitement in his body began to grow with every second, filling Alex with a new sense of strength. As the new emotion continued to grow in power, he began to think what it could be. Suddenly, he smiled at the realization of what he was feeling.

_I want her. I want everything about her. I want to break free of this shitty device. I want her so much. I want her body, her flesh, her passion, yes, everything. I want...I want to fuck her. I want to fuck her so badly. I want to thrust myself inside her with every fiber of my BeINg. i WAnT tO heaR HeR cRIes OF PAiN as wE BecOMe ONe. i wAnt to SEE hER faCE, WREtChed In THe aGonY Of lOSIng wHAt'S hers aS I cOntInUe FuCkiNg HEr. I WANt To seE THAt sEA OF rEd BUrst OUt of her oNTo Me._

_  
I WANT TO TAKE THAT FROM HER. iwant tO vIolATe her. iwanttorapeher. I wa,nt her to b/e no on,e but, m,ine. I w;ant, to h__**e**__ar her sc-re-am out my -nam-e as s'he re__**lease**__s hersELF intO Me. I want to keep __**going**__on until there's no further. I want that fucKIng beAuTiFul boDy of heRs for myself. no ONe ELse cAn Have it. Just ME aNd heR, nOne other. She DoEsn't deSeRVe anYoNe ElSe. None oT__**hE**__r cAN SAtisfy her LIKe ME._

_  
This FeELing, I WaNt Her tO eXPerieNce it I want her to feel like this too I want her to fuck me just as much as I want to fuck her I want to fuck her IWaNtHErINsIdEmE. Yes, most of all, most of all, I want her! I WANT her I want her I want I wANt hEr i WaNT heR I WaNt HEr i want HER iwanther I WANT HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Suddenly, Alex felt a giant release from inside his body, and he let out a grunt. His breath began slowing down as the emotion that had risen so quickly faded just as fast. His mind began to return to its normal state, and the feeling in his body had almost completely gone. He could feel his limbs in slight pain from thrashing around. He shook his head, his mind feeling very hazy at the moment as he recovered his senses.

_What the...what the hell just happened?! I remember they brought Kanonno in, and from that point on, everything just seemed so fast! It's all a blur...maybe if I give it a few seconds, I'll remember._

Just then, Alex looked around. His hearing returned, and two distinct noises came to his ears: Tribilin's laughs and Kanonno's crying. Alex looked around, confused, and then he looked straight at Kanonno. She was still naked, but this time, Alex was staring at her face. She looked horrified, frightened, and was crying heavily, her eyes averted from Alex.

_What happened to Kanonno? Why is she crying?! Why is she looking away from me?! Why? Wait a minute...I feel strange. What is this weird feeling that I..._

Alex looked down on himself, and gasped. Everything came back to him in that instant and his eyes widened in horror. His breath became very shaky as he stared down at the irrevocable evidence before him.

A sticky, white liquid was covering parts of his legs. Most of it had fallen into the freezing water below him, but some of it was still stuck to him. Alex then looked, and let out a gasp when he saw it. His manhood was sticking straight up out of him, erect, and Alex realized this was where the excitement he had been feeling came from. Glancing back at Kanonno, Alex began to look in horror.

"_What have...what have...__**WHAT HAVE I DONE**__!?_"

Alex's head collapsed, and he began sobbing intensely. He looked away from Kanonno; back down at the evidence of his horrible deed. His body shook in disgrace, and he began to bite his tongue hard. The shame he felt weighed terribly, and he continued to cry.

_I've...I've done something terrible. Just looking at Kanonno like that...made me perform that disgraceful act! I'm lower than shit...not even Tribilin would be capable of doing something this terrible! Kanonno...she should never look at me again. There's no need to look at a worthless man who pleasured himself to the sight of her body. It would be better off if I were to die. A man whose done something like this...is more disgusting than anything in the world._

_Let me die._

_Let me die. Kill me. Anyone. You'd be doing the world a favor by killing a piece of shit like me. Ha ha...come on, I know you can hear me. You can hear me, right? Of course you can. Stop pretending that you can't. See, you can hear me. If you can hear me, then won't you fulfill my last request? It's not like it's hard. All you have to do is stab me anywhere._

_So come on, let me die. _

_Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. Let me die. lEt me DiE. LeT Me dIe. leT mE DIe. lET ME DIE. Let mE die. lET me DIe. LEt ME diE. LeT Me Die. let me DIE. let ME diE. LET ME DIE LET ME DIE LET ME DIE LET ME DIE LETMEDIELETMEDIELETMEDIELETMEDIELET LET ME DIE!_

_**Please let me die**__._

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**To be continued in the next chapter- Insanity's Release**

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**So...yeah. Let me just clarify some things about that final scene before you go saying anything.**

**First of all, please don't think of me badly for the scene. The scene was **_**supposed**_** to be very disgusting and reviling, and was not arousing in anyway whatsoever. I personally am disgusted by people who do this sort of thing while looking at things like that, which I don't condone at all. So in short, no, I am not a pervert and no, I don't do things like that at all. Please know that there will NEVER be a scene like this EVER again in the story.**

**  
Second, you may be wondering "What the hell? Why was there such a disgusting scene in this fanfic in the first place? It serves no purpose!" Well, actually, it serves quite a few plot relevant purposes. For one, Alex is greatly disgusted by what he has done at the sight of Kanonno's naked body. This is exactly what Tribilin was hoping for-to break Alex's will by making him do such a thing. Also, this will cause a great deal of friction between Alex and Kanonno's relationship. How do you react when your best friend has masturbated to the sight of your naked body? This is what I am setting up, and we shall see the results.**

**Also, if you're thinking, "Alex would never do something like that! That's completely OOC!" the truth is there is a reason why he did it, but it'll be revealed in the next chapter, though there should have been enough hints prior to that scene as to what caused it.**

**So other words, yes, that scene is disgusting and may feel pointless, but the truth is that it serves a very emotional plot relevant purpose (straining Alex and Kanonno's relationship as well as breaking Alex's will to live) and it was supposed to be very disgusting. And with that, I conclude my discussion on the last scene. **

**Note the following: This chapter and Insanity's Release were originally supposed to be one chapter, but this chapter grew so big that I had to split it into two parts, or it would have been over 15,000 words or so.**

**So anyway, back to the normal stuff! I'm SO SORRY for being so late! As I mentioned in my note last time, my laptop broke down. When I got it repaired, I was buried in schoolwork, college applications, and SAT prep. Now, most of that is behind me (except for schoolwork), so I should be able to update more.**

**As for this chapter in paticular, I'd been planning it for quite a while, but in my hiatus, I saw three sources that inspired the mood of this chapter: watching **_**Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, **_**playing the visual novels the anime's based on, and playing the Visual Novel **_**Tsukihime. **_**All of these gave me an idea to use an even darker mood than what was planned, and upped the gore on this as a result. I included references to these two sources in this chapter.**

**On another note, I understand that I have been neglecting the rest of the Tales characters ever since Kanonno rejoined the group. I've been aware of this, but the past few chapters had been so scripted around those two that taking the focus away from them might ruin a few things. **

**Unfortunately, the next chapter will be mostly about them too, but I need it to be. But rest assured, after the next chapter, the Tales characters will get a lot more spotlight, and I'll try my best to limit Alex and Kanonno's prescence. Not completely, obviously, but I'll try making it so that they are less important to the story.**

**One last note: If I offended or disgusted someone heavily by the final scene, I apologize deeply. All following chapters will be rated T, and there will never again be any M rated ones. I sincerely hope that none of you will stop reading this story just because of this one scene.**

**Here's the summary for those who wished to skip the chapter.**

Summary:

-Alex wakes up in a dark room on a ship, along with Kanonno. He finds that the two of them are restrained, and cannot move. Alex also realizes he's been drugged. Some soldiers come in, and they two realize they're going to be taken to Lavard Castle.

-The woman from the end of the last chapter makes her way through Lavard, on her way towards the castle. She talks about how saving them is absolutely vital.

-At Henos, Ad Libitum discusses the upcoming battle to retake the port, and they are all concerned about Alex and Kanonno. Kratos concludes if they don't find the two in the city, they will be treated as KIA (Killed In Action).

-The ship reaches Lavard Castle, where Alex and Kanonno are presented before Valvus. After a discussion where Valvus tells them they have attacked Pasca without an excuse, the two are taken away to the dungeons, where Tribilin is waiting to torture them, and he does so.

-Alex and Kanonno are tortured for three days. Neither can use their Descender powers because the drugs they are given are preventing them from thinking straight or concentrating. Alex is, at one point, forced to listen to Kanonno be tortured for hours while he can't move or cover his ears.

-On the fifth day, Alex is given a special drug, and is taken to a strange chamber, naked. A few seconds later, Kanonno is brought into the room, also naked. Having never seen a woman naked before and overwhelmed, Alex masturbates to the sight of Kanonno. He is greatly disgusted at himself, and wishes to die.


	40. Chapter 38: Insanity's Release

**Hi! Final Poke Mario Fan here, with the continuation of the last chapter here. Let's continue.**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2: Trials of Life

Chapter 38: Insanity's Release

* * *

Tribilin was standing in a dark room with Valvus at his side, grinning viciously. The two of them were staring at something in the room. Valvus walked forward, and looked closer at the object.

"I must say, Tribilin, as disgusting as that was, you actually succeeded in accomplishing the main task in a rather short period of time. I was wondering how you'd be able to get it done, but it seems that you fulfilled your role perfectly. Well done," Valvus said.

Tribilin smirked, "Why, of course I got it done. I can accomplish anything easily when I set my mind to it. Ah yes, I'm pretty sure you know by now, but I acquired the other half we needed. Are you satisfied now? I'll tell now that it wasn't as pleasing to do as this was while restraining the others, but we got it done."

"Yes, of course. Now that we have both, we can begin the project. I'll admit that I don't like your attitude, but your skills in this field are better than any other person I know. I never thought I'd be saying these words, but...I leave this in your hands," Valvus said.

"Heh, no problem at all, no problem. My only condition, of course, is that you continue letting me play with those two for as long as I want. Do we have a deal?" Tribilin said, his malicious grin on.

Valvus nodded, "Go ahead. However, you must make sure that you don't damage them permanently. I might have a use for them in the future, and I don't want it to be so that the two of them are so broken that I can't use them. Of course, by 'broken', I mean physically broken. You can damage them mentally as much as you want; it's probably better that way. Understand, Tribilin?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course I understand. Just as long as I can have fun with them, that's all that matters. And what about their powers? Do you want me to do anything with them aside from the usual? You know, you could have your warp power back if I take it from him...of course, I'll probably have to use another one of those pills like I did for the show earlier," Tribilin said. He took out a case of pills, entitled **PRIMALIS REVERTIS**.

"...No, I no longer need my warp power. Our plans have gone so much further ahead than what we expected that I no longer need it. However, feel free to do whatever else you'd like with them." Valvus said.

"Heheheh…why of course, Valvus. Now then, shall we move on to beginning this experiment?"

* * *

The brown haired woman sat down at a cafe in Eagia, drinking from a cup of coffee. She looked over the map of Pasca as she looked around at the corner of her eye, making sure no one was eyeing her suspiciously.

_Alright, so the prison is located about 200 feet under the castle. It's heavily guarded, but the guards shift every six hours. Also, the only units that are allowed to guard for the prison are second ranked knights in the fourth division. And they make a routine three day visit to Lavard Castle for three days in the middle of the month. _

_Hmm…right now I'm in Eagia, so it'll take about three and a half weeks to reach the castle. That should coincide with the next visit of the knights. That's my chance. I'll be able to go take one of them, steal his equipment, and dress up as him while he changes shifts with the guards in the castle dungeon. I guess I should be fortunate enough that I pass as a guy…man, the rest of the unit had a field day with that one. It's been so soon since their deaths, I'm surprised that I'm able to think so clearly._

The woman looked up, and quickly shook her head. _No, focus, focus. It's not the time to be thinking about that. The mission is what counts right now, not them. Ok, ok…right, so it'll be fine. I just need to get into the dungeon, find their cells, and get them back. If he really has that teleportation power, we'll get out of there in no time. I promise all of you…your deaths were not in vain…_

* * *

Alex lay on the floor of his cell, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing slow, and his limbs were bound as always. His neck was now strapped with a brace, and a horrible stench came from his body. Two guards left his cell, and stood outside.

"Alright, that's the next set of drugs. That'll keep his mind clouded for another six hours or so, so we'll leave the next shift to the night guard," The first guard said.

"But don't you think that Tribilin is going a little too far? I mean, just two days ago he had that brace put around his neck? If we're already giving him drugs, why go that far?" The second guard said.

"It can't be helped. Didn't you hear what happened then? This guy tried to kill himself by slamming his head into the floor again and again. Tribilin really seems keen on keeping this one alive, so he's not taking any chances. That's why he's using everything he can to keep those two down."

"Really? So…this one has been broken after five days? For a person who Emperor Valvus considers to be that special, he didn't seem like he was that tough."

"It's Tribilin's skills, of course. Anyone who falls to him breaks eventually. And those that don't end up dead or 'converted'. The absolute precision Tribilin uses in his tortures-that is why this dungeon is called a hell on Pasca."

The conversation passed through Alex's ears, but he didn't pay attention to them. His eyes blinked rapidly as he lay down on the ground, lost in his mind.

_KiLl ME. sTOp STAlLinG tribILIN, yOU kNOw thAT's WHAT I WanT. COmE on, enD My wORTHlesS lIfe. CRAZy…yEs, IHAVEindeEDgOnecraZY. AFILTHYBLIGHTOFAM ANLIKEME DoEsnTdeserVELIFE. LMEAHAHAHAHAHA._

* * *

A few days later, Alex was lying down on the table in the room where he'd been tortured the first time. His stare vacant, he watched as Tribilin came in along with several mages. Tribilin was speaking to several of them, who nervously nodded in agreement with what he said. Alex just waited.

_Come on, Tribilin, I've seen this so many times already. Just hurry up, get it over with, and try to actually kill me this time._

Tribilin finished talking with the mages, and walked over to the table. "Well well, Terresian Descender, you're as lively as always, aren't you? Ready for our next round?"

"...Just give it up and kill me already. I'm tired of waiting, Tribilin; I know you can do better than this. You've already killed countless people, what's one more for you? Come one, end it all," Alex said, his voice dead.

"What, and end the fun already? You fail to realize just how intriguing this is! It's just so amazing how much people can live through, and how many different ways there are for it! You've only been here about a week, Terresian Descender. I've _hardly_ begun to test just how many different ways you can live through! Besides, what makes you think I'd kill you right now?"

Alex raised his eyes level to Tribilin's, smiling, "You've done worse than this, haven't you? I've heard about how you've completely destroyed people's bodies. Like what you did to your family and Nocen..."

Alex's sentence was cut off as Tribilin punched Alex in the stomach violently. Alex gagged for a few seconds and coughed up blood from his mouth, dribbling all over his neck and chest. Tribilin's eyes were fierce with anger, his mouth in a snarl. He swiftly wrapped his right hand around Alex's neck.

"Don't you _**ever**_ mention that bastard's name in front of me! If you keep it up, you may find yourself a few limbs less! I see that Kanonno told you about that bastard...I'll be sure to punish her severely today. Now then, Terresian Descender, if you say that man's name one more time, I will personally blind you with my own hands! Got it!?" Tribilin said. His left thumb was now pressing against Alex's right eye, and he started pushing against it.

Despite Tribilin's threats and his increasingly desperate need for air, Alex did not respond, his eyes blank. Tribilin scoffed, and released Alex, who began instinctively gasping for air.

"Then...why would...you become a...doctor if you take...so much pleasure...in hurting people?" Alex asked.

Tribilin smirked, "Oh, so you want to know, huh? Well, the answer's quite simple: I became a doctor specifically so I could see how I could hurt people. I wanted to know where the body was weak, where it was strong, what areas would lead to fatal injuries, where minor injuries could be caused. I wanted to see the limits of the body, to see how much pain they could last through. I wanted to know how I could keep a person alive and begging for death yet nowhere near it. What could be disabled, what could slowly kill a person, what was not needed, how long one could last without certain body parts. To gain total knowledge of the human body to cause it pain- that's why I became a doctor."

"You're quite the sinner, I see. Heheheheh..." Alex laughed, his mouth curled into a mad sneer.

"Ah, but who are you to talk? Terresian Descender, you really underestimate what I've really done to you, haven't you? But I remember, I remember. Every single thing I've done, you haven't managed to be able to do a damn thing about it! You are so powerless it's hilarious!" Tribilin said.

Alex's eyes narrowed, "Stop."

"Come on, even though you're drugged, you should be able to remember everything I did to you! I was the one who captured Kanonno, the one who kept her here and in that lab and had my fun with her while we studied her body for three months! You know, she cried for you that whole time, along with that Mormo guy. Such a hopeless bitch, wouldn't you say!? And then, I was the one who did it to her. That's right, State Jemummu Recovery, sealing away Kanonno and bringing forth Belladonna! I can still remember her screams from that time, you know? And of course, I dissected that Mormo creature in front of my eyes, while laughing about it. He was quite a screamer, that Mormo."

Rage was building up in Alex's body, "...Shut your damn mouth."

"But wait, there's more! Remember how I would always remind you of that whenever we fought, always shoving it in your damn face?! You looked so pathetic, screaming for revenge and blindly charging at me. And to think, I was going to do the same thing to your friends when I'd captured them, if it weren't for Valvus. And you know something else? I was the one who planned out this capture in the first place! You fell so blindly into my trap, trusting in everyone you met blindly! You and Kanonno are such failures as Descenders!"

"_**SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH UP!**_"

"Whoa, temper, temper. Why are you getting so mad, Terresian Descender? I'm nowhere near as bad of a person as you are. It's true that we've both killed people, that we've both lead others to their deaths, murdered without a care. But at least I can proudly say that I've never jerked off to my friend. Can you?" Tribilin said, smiling.

Alex screamed at the top of his lungs in pure rage. The destruction power began to manifest in his right arm, the white light surrounding it. Its power was so strong that the restraint on Alex's right arm broke right off, and the light grew.

Tribilin turned to the mages. "_**NOW!**__ USE IT!_"

The mages stretched their arms out, and Alex felt himself coursing with thousands of volts of electric spells. His scream turned into one of pain as his body burned from the inside. His body seemed to stop altogether, and his arms stiffened up. The electricity stopped, and Alex took several pained breaths. He gasped as he saw his right arm, which was still filled with light, but completely frozen. "What?"

Tribilin walked forward with several mages. "It's an isolated Time Stop spell. Haven't you seen one before? Well, it doesn't matter. Your right arm is currently frozen in time, and while your power is still active, you can't use it for now. Alright, cast the spell!"

Tribilin pulled out a gem from his pocket, and held it up. The mages beside him surrounded Alex's arm, and began chanting. Alex suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and gritted his teeth in pain. As the chanting continued, some of the white light from Alex's arm began to flow out of his arm and into the gem Tribilin held. Alex also felt his body somehow growing weaker, particularly his chest. The mages finished casting the spell, and the last bits of the light headed toward the gem stopped. The Time Stop spell ended, and Alex watched as the destruction power in his arm faded away back into his body.

"General Hemoses, it's been completed," One of the mages said.

Tribilin nodded, "Of course it did. That's all I needed you for, you can get out now."

The mages nodded, and walked out of the room. As Alex caught his breath, he stared up at Tribilin, who instantly held Alex's right arm down, and twisted it sharply. Alex screamed as he felt his bone fracture, the splitting of the bone sharp. His right arm fell uselessly to his side, and Alex continued to cry in pain. Tribilin laughed.

"Well, Terresian Descender, that was merely an introduction to today's session. Let's continue normally!"

As Tribilin said this, a soldier walked in with Tribilin's cart of utensils. As Alex saw it, the same thought came to his head.

_Just kill me now..._

* * *

"Failed!?" Tribilin shouted.

A researcher shook in his seat before continuing, "Y-yes, General Hemoses. The first twelve are all dead. They died within minutes of each other."

Tribilin was standing in a room in the research center, talking to the main researcher in the room. A pale green light filled the room as several other men watched the scene in front of them.

"Damn it! We're already running into problems?! Did you figure out what the cause of death was!?" Tribilin said, a snarl on his face.

"N-no, General, we thought you should handle that..."

"Do it yourself! If this ever happens again, tell me _immediately_! I don't care if you have to interrupt me while I'm busy with the prisoners, I'll get over it! I don't want to have to wait until I get here to find something out! We're under a strict schedule here! If we don't get this done right, we'll have wasted all this effort for nothing! Got it?!"

The researcher nodded shakily, "Yes, G-General Hemoses!"

* * *

Kanonno was being held in one of the torture rooms, being chained above the floor with her head facing some sort of pot. The sound of a fire crackling also was heard in the room. Tribilin stood a few feet away from her, looking at the source of the sound, a furnace in the corner. His eyes were narrowed and his face was filled with anger. He started to walk over to Kanonno.

"Kanonno, Kanonno. You've screwed up _big _time. Oh, you have really done it this time. All of these times, I've only treated you half as seriously because you are much more resistant than that screaming Terresian Descender. You're much less fun to torture than him. But this time, I'm so furious at you that I think I'll enjoy this much more than any other session with you," Tribilin said, his tone enraged.

"And what did I do to invoke your anger?" Kanonno asked.

Tribilin walked up to Kanonno, and grabbed her hair, "You told that Terresian Descender about that _bastard_, damn it! You told him about my past! I honestly don't give a shit that he mentioned my family- rather, it's thanks to their flesh that I'm here right now. No, he had to go and mention that son of a bitch's name! I've gone day by day, day by day, trying to forget his name, his face, his feel...All of it! What do you have to say for yourself, you slut!?"

"..."

"Hmph, too shocked for words, are you? Well, I'll open that damn mouth of yours soon enough. Just sit still, and it'll be over in a while. Oh right, you can't even move, can you? Heheheheheh..." Tribilin said. He walked over to the pot.

Kanonno glanced down, "This pot...so today's torture is dunking my head into water, huh? I've seen you perform that one before several times. I thought you hated me so much that you would come up with something new."

Tribilin just smiled, "I did."

He lifted the pot, and walked away. Kanonno's eyes widened as she saw that rather than clear water, the pot was filled with a red liquid, which gave off a foul stench. Flies were inside the pot, going away at the liquid to drink. Kanonno's body shook.

_B-BLOOD!?_

"Here we go!"

Tribilin stood by a wheel, and turned it slowly. Kanonno felt her body lowering as her face approached the pot of blood. Tribilin turned slowly so she could see herself approaching the blood. Kanonno's breath began shaking.

"Tr-Tribilin! Stop! Wait! I...!"

"Not listening!" Tribilin said, and turned the wheel faster. Kanonno's face was dunked into the blood pool.

Kanonno, who had held her breath, felt her face in the blood pool. Within a second, she felt her stomach get nauseous as the smell of being in blood overcame her. The blood began to crawl its way into her nose, practically sealing it up, and it did the same to her ears. Kanonno's head began to shake as she tried to get her head above the pool, but Tribilin sunk her even more.

Kanonno's oxygen started running low, and her whole body moved back and forth in desperation. Her mouth burst open, and the loss of air was greeted with the taste of blood. Kanonno gagged, and felt as if she were about to die. Just then, her body rapidly rose out, and Kanonno's face emerged from the pool.

The second her face came out, Kanonno vomited into the blood pool, stomach acid and blood escaping from her mouth at the same time. She started coughing violently, and her lungs hopelessly tried to exert all the blood that got in there. She coughed up more blood, and her ears and nose also released blood.

Tribilin walked over from the lever over to the furnace, "Heh, not bad, Kanonno. You're already breathing this hard only after the first level of the torture. But this is only part one of the fun. See, here we go."

Tribilin opened the furnace, and pulled out a poker, like the ones used in fireplaces, with the tip red from all the heat. Walking over to Kanonno, Tribilin raised the poker, and struck Kanonno's back. Kanonno screamed as the heat from the poker, and Tribilin smirked as he heard her scream. He struck another part of her back, and Kanonno's screams continued.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! ST-STOP, TRIBILIN! PLEASE, STOP! STOP!!!!!!!!"

Tribilin smirked, "Oh, so now you're going be like this, huh? Hmm...Tell you what; I've decided when I'll stop torturing you. If you want the torture to end, you must say 'I'm sorry' 1000 times. If you do that, then I'll stop. Okay?'

Tribilin struck Kanonno with the poker, and she screamed again.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Tribilin grabbed Kanonno head, and dunked it into the pool of blood again, "What's that?! I can't hear you! You'll have to speak up! Well?"

After several seconds, Tribilin brought Kanonno's head up, and she coughed up blood again.

"IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY IMSORRY!"

Whack. Another strike of the poker. Another scream.

"imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry imsorry!"

Splash. He head had been dunked into the blood pool again. Tribilin smiled, and as her head was underwater, he struck her with the heated poker. Her body shook violently, racked with a muffled scream, and her head was brought up again. While coughing, Tribilin struck again. She screamed.

"Hmph...that's 50 down...only 950 more to go!"

The screams continued for a while longer...

* * *

The brown haired woman stood in an alleyway in the capital of Lavard, her sword drawn out. Right below her lay a soldier about her height, but a few years older than her. His body shook with fear, his neck only an inch away from the tip of her blade. His own sword lay a few inches away from him, her heel touching the hilt. Her own eyes stared coldly down at the man.

"You...how did you..." The soldier started.

"'Defeat you'? Isn't that a pointless question right now?" The women said, her eyes fixed on his body.

The soldier's arms shook more, "You've been the one watching me for the last two days, haven't you? I always thought someone was spying on me, but everyone told me I was just too tense. You're with the UFTW, right?"

The woman lowered the tip of her sword slightly so that it was almost touching the soldier's neck, "Do you even need to ask?"

"St-stop! Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

"'Don't want to die'? Hmph, how'd you ever become a soldier? We soldiers are always prepared for death. For you to be begging for your life, you've practically disgraced your country. But as an individual, I will respect your wishes. I will spare your life...if you agree to cooperate with me," The woman said.

The soldier looked up, shocked, "What are the conditions?"

"The transfer of guards takes place tomorrow, right? First off, you'll have to disappear for a few days..."

* * *

_It's been a long month..._

A soldier walked down the dark corridors of the dungeon, glancing back and forth at all the cells. His metallic boots created a loud echo that resounded through the dungeon, contrasting with the total stillness of rest of the dungeon. The soldier sneezed suddenly, and he walked towards the door that was labeled **X-CLASS CRIMINALS: RESTRICTED ACCESS**.

_This month has been much tenser than the last time I was here. At that time, we didn't have that many people here. Now we've got those two prisoners that the two have everyone in a frenzy, the atmosphere's like this. I've been growing so paranoid myself, but at least today is my last day here. Once I get my leave today, I'll go out drinking with everyone at the tavern tonight. I'll feel better then._

Sighing, the soldier walked over to the door, and opened it up. As he opened the door, he became aware of an unpleasant noise coming from inside. Walking down the hall, the sound became louder and louder.

_A voice? Is it one of the prisoner's?_

The soldier nervously passed by the cells, looking around to confirm no one else was there. As he got deeper and deeper, the sound became really loud, and the soldier felt a slight pang of fear in his stomach. Finally, as he passed by one cell, he heard the sound coming from behind the door. The guard walked over to the door, and placing his ear on the door, he heard the voice.

"Heheheheh...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Come on, come on out! KILL ME! TRIBILIN, _where _**are** YoU?! gO _AheAD __**A**__N_**d **k**Il**_**l**_ ME! KANONNO, hOw ABoUt _**y**_**o**_u_? You should have no problem killing a scumbag like me! VALVUS, you got everything you wanted, so do Me A _fA_**VO**_**r **_and do it! WELL!? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Panicked, the soldier quickly walked away from the door, and moved faster down the hall...

* * *

Later, the soldiers guarding the cells were standing in the entryway of the dungeon's exit, waiting for their replacements to come in. Most of them, like the soldier from earlier, had tense faces, waiting to be relieved by the sight of the doors opening up to reveal the replacements. As they waited, the soldier from earlier merely stood there with his eyes turned towards the floor.

"Huh? What's wrong, Devet?" The man standing next to the soldier said.

The soldier, Devet, looked up suddenly, "Huh? Nomas, what are you talking about?"

"Even I can see that you're more bothered than the rest of us are. So tell me what's on your mind," Nomas said, putting on a smile for Devet.

"...Hm, you've always been perceptive like that. It's just...I kind of feel bad for the Descender..." Devet started.

Nomas looked shocked, "What?! What are you saying, Devet!? Have you forgotten it was our own Descender that killed all of us the first time?"

"No, I'm not talking about her. I have no sympathy for her, she deserves what she's getting. I just feel bad for the guy, that's all. I know he's our enemy and all of that, but he...he just..."

"What?"

"He just seems so broken right now. When I passed his cell today, I could tell he'd truly gone nuts down here. He was screaming for death the whole time, hoping he could die. It makes me feel bad for all the people who Tribilin has tortured that he's kept alive. I can't think of any fate worse than his, it's making my stomach sick. That's why I feel sort of down," Devet said.

Nomas put his hand on Devet's shoulder, "He's our enemy, remember that. The UFTW were the ones who put us in this position. That man may be broken, but he's also killed so many of our own brethren as well. Just don't worry about it anymore, and we'll have a drink tonight and forget all of this."

Devet looked over at Nomas, "I guess you're ri..."

Just then, the doors opened, and all the soldiers faced the light, their eyes squinting slightly. At the entryway stood a few hundred soldiers to match the number of men standing around. Both groups saluted one another, and the soldiers in the hallway stood in two lines to allow the new soldiers to come in and take their places...

* * *

"Again!?"

Tribilin grunted in frustration, standing in the research room with the pale green light. His eyes glanced to a corner of the room, where a researcher stood next to a green tube.

"B-but, Doctor Hemoses, these ones lasted a few days longer than the last couple of sets did. Maybe part of the problem is that we're trying too many specimens at once? M-maybe if we only did one, it might work out much better," One of the researchers said, looking nervous.

Tribilin was about to shout at him, but then stopped, "Hmm...Actually, you may have a point for once. Wait, no...that's right! I've got it! You're right, we've been trying too many at a time! If we only try one, we may get better results. But of course, we still have the issue that none of them have gone to the rate we desire."

One of the researchers turned to Tribilin at those words, "About that, Doctor Hemoses. We've conducted a study on all the failed specimens we've had over the last month or so, and we think we may have found a solution to that. We just finished a report on that, if you wish to see it."

"Give it to me now," Tribilin said. The researcher nodded, and handed Tribilin several sheets of paper in a file. Tribilin opened the file, and skimmed through the pages as he looked at the report. As he read the page, his expression began to turn into a smile, and by the time he was finished, his mouth was in a smirk.

"Of course...of course. No wonder it hasn't been working...All right, men! We have a lot of work to do! Prepare ourselves for another specimen! This time we'll only use one! Got it!?" Tribilin shouted.

"Yes, sir!" The researchers said. They quickly got back to work...

* * *

The brown haired woman quickly walked out of a room, looking back and forth down the hall to make sure no one was watching. After confirming it, she closed the door and walked down towards the hallway, making sure she looked natural. She was dressed in the equipment of the soldiers, and had placed the rest of her equipment in her vacuum-space sphere, which she had hidden inside her boot.

_Alright...I've got their locations down. He's in X-017, while she's in X-040. The restricted prisoner's section, right as expected. Whew...I'm just glad I was able to get this armor on...even though the soldier I took it from was about my size; it's still a little too big. Oh well, at least I was able to do it without killing him. If my predictions are correct, he'll wake up in an hour or so. It was a good thing I was able to bribe the innkeeper to keep him in the room until this time, but I had to use the last of my money to do that. Well, I guess that doesn't matter anymore._

The woman walked down the halls of the dungeon, looking down the cell block. She looked up, and noticed she was currently in Block R at the moment. Taking a look around, she walked towards Block X. Passing by the guards that went by, she was able to remain calm and keep her posture up. As she continued walking, she stopped for a second, rechecking her surroundings.

_Alright...Block W...It's the next one!_

The woman walked over to the door, which would lead to Block X. She placed her hand on the doorknob...

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

The woman cursed as a soldier's shout resounded from behind her. Whipping out her sword, the woman quickly turned around.

"Demonic Chaos!"

With those words, the woman shot three Demon Fangs at the guard who was only feet from her. The man let out a cry as he was hit with all three. The woman quickly ran forward, and thrust her sword into the man's neck. He gasped, spat out blood, and collapsed to the floor, dying.

_Shit...this isn't good. I'll have to hurry!_

The woman ran back to the door, and opened it up, then shut it behind her. She ran down the hallway, seeing a soldier ahead of her. Seeing she had her sword out, the soldier quickly reached for his. Without stopping, the woman ran up to the soldier and slashed towards him. The guard quickly blocked with his own sword, and swung back, causing the woman to be backed towards the door. The woman glanced down at her sword.

"Damned standard-issue..."

The soldier raised his sword, and dashed at the woman. The woman dropped her sword, and quickly reached into her right boot. As the soldier was seven feet away from the woman, she quickly lifted something out of her boot. Just as the soldier was about to strike, he gasped as the woman pulled out another sword and impaled him right through his stomach. Quickly withdrawing it, the woman thrust forward and stabbed him through the heart. He gave out a weak gasped, then died.

The woman panted for breath, and pulled her vacuum-space sphere out of her boot, then reattached it around her waist.

"Can't take any more risks. Alright, almost there."

The woman took a deep breath, and walked down the hallway. She looked down the hallway's cells, and looked at all of them. She finally spotted the one labeled X-017, and went for the handle. As she grabbed the handle, she soon found it wouldn't budge.

_Damn...I don't even have the key...No choice...I'll have to break it down._

The woman took out her sword, and put it into a pose behind her. Her sword began glowing a mix of red and green.

"SONIC IGNITION THRUST!"

The woman thrust the sword forward, which made contact with the handle. A few seconds later, the tip glowed red and green, and a large explosion occurred. The woman looked into the cell, and gasped.

* * *

Alex, who had been staring at the ceiling as he normally did, turned his head at the loud explosion. The cell door fell right down onto the ground, causing a loud bang. He saw the shadow of a soldier standing in the door, sword held out. He then heard the soldier gasp.

Alex's body, to put it lightly, was in _horrible_ condition. His body was covered in countless cuts and several scars, both old and new. His skin was thin, the bones on his ribs becoming visible as well as those on his arms and legs. His eyes had practically lost almost all of the light they once held, and were now dull. As he glanced at the soldier standing in the doorway, he was surprised to hear a sound he hadn't heard from another in a while.

The woman was crying, her sobs echoing in the cell. Her green eyes were clouded with her tears, and her whole body was shaking. As she stood there, her mouth widened along with her eyes, and collapsed to the floor on her knees.

"So this...this is what they did to you. It's so much worse...so much worse than I could ever have imagined..."

Despite all of Alex's insanity at the moment, his mind was still able to make out two cohesive thoughts.

_Who...is this girl? Why is she crying?_

The woman then looked up, and wiped away her tears. She stood up, her face filled with resolve. She walked over to Alex on the floor, and looked at his face. She reached into her vacuum-space sphere, and pulled out a Panacea Bottle. After that, she used her sword to break the shackles on Alex's neck and arms. She then took the Panacea Bottle.

"Drink this. Since they've been drugging you, this should be able to clear your head up."

With those words, the woman took the bottle, opened its lid, and poured it down Alex's throat. When she finished, she placed the bottle on the ground. As the bottle went down, Alex's mind began to clear, and some light returned to his eyes. Seconds later, he let out a scream and raised his arms to strangle the woman.

The woman gasped, and began to struggle, but stopped when she realized that there was absolutely no strength at all in Alex's hands. Despite his sudden movement, his arms began to shake, and collapsed from the lack of power. His screams continued.

_Of course...he can't even move...he's been lethargic for over a month, of course he has no strength. He won't be able to walk without days of practice. No choice, I have to carry him._

As Alex screamed, the woman was brought back to reality. Gently, she placed her hands on Alex's face, and stroked it. Feeling this gesture, Alex's screams stopped, and the woman stared down at him. For the first time in a month, Alex felt the warmth of someone actually caring for him.

"Don't worry- you're going to be alright. I'll ensure that you don't die. Listen up, I'm going to go rescue Kanonno now, and then we're going to have to retreat. From what I've heard, you have the ability to warp, so I need you to take us to Depas. Got it?" The woman said.

Alex's eyes remained blank. _WhY..wHY BOthEr SavIng mE. IM A woRthleSS eXCusE fOR A LIFe ThErEs NO NeeD to saVE mE._

The woman freed Alex's legs, and grabbed him by the feet. Due to the lack of exercise and food over the last month, his body was much lighter than usual, so while the woman found he was slightly heavy, she was still able to carry him on her back. She then walked out of the cell and down the hallways, noting the numbers of the cells. All this time, Alex seemed to not notice anything at all, his eyes still dull.

Finally, the woman reached cell X-040. She placed Alex down several feet away from the door, and then used another Sonic Ignition Thrust on the door. The door shook, and crashed down on the ground towards the cell. Bracing herself, the woman looked into the cell, and while this time she didn't cry, her hand was curled into a fist and was shaking.

Kanonno lay on the ground of her cell, also chained. Her body also was covered in cuts and a few scars, though not as many of either on her body compared to Alex's. Her body gave off a terrible stench, and she had grown thin in the last month. Worms had crawled around her body, and some eggs near them had confirmed they had eaten off parts of her body. In rage, the woman walked over and scattered all the worms.

Kneeling down to Kanonno, she also gave her a Panacea Bottle. This time, the woman decided to remove her bounds after she had recovered, and waited a few seconds. As the panacea purged the drug from her body, Kanonno's eyes widened as she began screaming.

"NO! DON'T...DON'T GET ANY CLOSER! STAY AWAY FROM ME! GO AWAY!" Kanonno screamed.

The woman flinched slightly, but remained in her posture, "It's alright, Kanonno, I'm here to save you. Calm down, everything will be fine. We'll be out of here in a little bit, ok?"

Kanonno stopped screaming, but still glared with hostility at the woman as she removed her bonds with her sword. Noticing the glance, the woman continued to speak, "It's going to be alright. I've already saved Alex, and he's outside right now. You want to see him, right?"

Kanonno gasped at that, but then her face darkened once more. _Alex...I'm...I'm so confused. A part of me wants to see him, but another part..._

The sight of Alex on that day almost a month ago, smirking at her and lusting at her from that device flashed through her mind.

_...never wants to see him again. I don't know...I don't know!_

The woman freed Kanonno's legs, and went over to pick Kanonno up. As she did so, she walked towards the door. When they had almost existed, Kanonno spoke up.

"What's...your name?"

The woman completely froze for a second. A second later, with a shaky voice, she replied.

"It's Mia...Mia Alzen..."

Mia then walked out the door, and looked over at Alex. Kanonno's eyes met Alex for a second, then a second later, hers darkened and looked away. Alex also looked at Kanonno, his eyes widening, then he also looked away in shame.

Mia placed Kanonno down on the wall, then spoke, "Alright, Alex. You're going to have to create a portal so that we can get out of here. Send us to Depas."

"..." Alex didn't respond.

"Didn't you hear me? Form a portal to Depas. Even if you can't move your arms well, you really don't need to move it much for this, right? So do it."

"..."

"Damn it, if you don't do it, we're going to die! Pretty soon..."

Suddenly, a group of voice broke out from both ends of the hallway. Seconds later, the loud stomping of boots was heard.

Mia's teeth gritted, "Shit. I was hoping they'd find out later, but it looks like I have no choice. Alright Alex, you'd better hurry with the portal! We'll be overrun in a minute and I can't hold them off for very long!"

Mia drew her sword and glanced back at the way she came. She sighed, and closed her eyes for a second, holding her sword in a stance. She opened her eyes, and her sword glowed green and red once more, with some white light.

"IGNITION ARC!"

With a loud cry, Mia swung her sword in an arc, striking the walls towards the hallway. The strike was so strong that it left a small mark on both walls. A second later, the marks exploded, and the walls shook violently as they broke apart. They collapsed partially, blocking the hallway behind her. Suddenly, Mia dropped her sword, and gripped her head violently in pain. Her arms shook as she gripped her head with both hands, and let out a small cry of pain.

"D-damn...didn't think it'd be like this..."

Mia coughed for a second, and then grabbed her sword. Three soldiers charged directly at her with several behind. Noting Alex was still doing nothing; Mia cursed and cried out as she swung her sword at the first soldier, striking him in the neck. The other two swung at the same time, so Mia dropped to the floor and slashed their legs, causing them to fall over in pain. Mia quickly kicked both of their swords back. They landed in front of Alex, who glanced at them.

Five more soldiers came, and Mia continued to fight. All five swung at once, and while Mia dodged three of them, two slashes connected with her arms. Grunting, Mia used another Ignition Arc, which killed two of the soldiers and knocked the other three back. Quickly striking, Mia stabbed two of them in the heart. As the third got up, Mia took a knife from one of their belts and threw it at the third. It hit him in the head, and he fell over, dead.

Just then, a pair of even faster footsteps approached the three. Alex and Kanonno's eyes widened as they heard a familiar voice.

"GET AWAY FROM MY PRISONERS!" Tribilin screamed, his eyes wide with anger.

Mia gasped, and her eyes narrowed with anger, "So you're Tribilin...I've heard a lot about you, _you bastard!_"

Mia launched a Demon Fang at Tribilin, who dodged it with ease. He ran down the hall with amazing speed, and jumped forward towards Mia. Mia jumped to dodge, but Tribilin was faster, and swiped at her arm. Mia gasped as she was hit, and her blood splattered backwards as she jumped. Some drops hit Alex's face, and at that moment, his eyes widened as he saw it.

_Blood...this isn't my blood. This is someone else's blood...her blood...the blood shed for protecting me. Protected...me...Damn it, I'm not going to let her end here! I don't give a damn whether I die anymore, but I will not let someone else die protecting a life as wretched as mine!_

Alex raised his hands slightly, and remembered the harbor from Depas. He closed his eyes, and felt the warp mana react to his image. It began to form at his fingertips, and illuminated the hallway.

Tribilin saw it, and gasped, "Damn you, Terresian Descender! You can't escape on me!"

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE A STEP FURTHER!" Mia screamed. She swung at Tribilin, who blocked with his gauntlet. He kicked at her, but Mia brought her shield down to defend and jumped back. She charged once more, and thrust her sword towards Tribilin. As he jumped to the side, she swung at him with her shield, forcing him to jump back a few feet. He tried charging again, but Mia used Demonic Chaos, forcing him to remain where he was as he dodged each wave.

Alex's eyes widened, and the portal was completed. Seeing this, Mia ran back towards the two, and Tribilin ran after her.

"You bitch!" Tribilin said.

Mia ignored him, and grabbed Kanonno, pushing her in. She grabbed Alex, and ran in through the portal. Tribilin jumped forward, but Mia and Alex were faster. They got in the portal a second before Tribilin hit, and the portal disappeared right before Tribilin's eyes. Enraged, he struck the ground in fury.

"_**FUCK!!!!!!!!!**_"

* * *

Eugene was walking on the harbor of Depas, observing the surroundings. As he continued to watch, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Annie's face.

"Ah, Annie, what are you doing here?" Eugene said.

"Most of the soldiers have recovered completely, so there wasn't much for me to do at the medical center today. So I decided to come down here to get some fresh air," Annie said with a smile.

Eugene returned the smile, "Is that so...I'm glad to hear everyone else is doing well after the battle. With the two of us alone in the city, I've been thinking a lot about everything. So much has happened here in the Northern Wastelands..."

Annie's face grew sad, "Right...including what happened to Alex and Kanonno."

It was Caen 28th, three weeks since the UFTW had retaken Depas from the Pascans. They had won, but the battle had been very brutal, with severe casualties on both sides. About half of the soldiers had been to hurt to continue moving on. After searching the city and finding no sign of Alex and Kanonno, Ad Libitum had determined that the two were either dead or captives of Pasca. As a result, Kratos declared the two to be KIA. When there had been an outcry at this statement, Kratos had only said this:

"_It wasn't anyone's fault that lead to this. If you need to blame anything, blame their fate_."

With that, the UFTW had decided to continue the war and leave the Northern Wastelands to meet up with the rest of the army in the pincer siege on Western Scollance. By now, the army had passed out of the mountains and was now out of the Northern Wastelands. However, requiring two Ad Libitum members to stay behind to take care of Depas, Eugene had offered because he was a Gajuma, and therefore would have no problem with cold weather, while Annie also volunteered in order to help the wounded soldiers.

"...It's unfortunate, but we can't let it haunt us forever. We've lost so many already in this war, like General Halvun, that we need to move on. We mustn't let whatever happened to them be in vain," Eugene said.

Annie nodded, "You're right. Ah, by the way, regarding what I was saying about the healing patients earli..."

Suddenly, a blue light emerged several feet away from the two. As it took shape, they gasped.

"Isn't that...one of Alex's portals?" Annie said.

Kanonno came out of the portal first, landing on the ground. A few seconds later, Mia came through grabbing Alex. The portal disappeared, and Mia began panting, her arms shaking.

"Alex! Kanonno! You're alive!" Annie said, a smile forming on her face.

Eugene's eyes were wide with shock, "I don't believe it..."

Annie slowly walked over to the three, looking slightly confused at Mia. But when she got close, Alex and Kanonno began to scream, trying to thrash around in fear. Annie back off in shock, and Eugene ran over to them. Alex and Kanonno lay helpless on the ground, but as they screamed, Mia drew closer to them.

"Calm down. We're..."

Ignoring her words, the two kept screaming. Mia looked at them in horror, and then grabbed both of them by the wrist. Suddenly, the two of them stopped screaming, and slowly, their breath returned to normal. Seconds later, they fell asleep, completely exhausted.

Annie looked at Eugene, "Eugene...what's going on?"

A grim look grew on Eugene's face, "...I've seen this before...it's not good. First, we need to get them to a room."

* * *

The five were sitting in a room in the closest inn. Alex and Kanonno were sound asleep on the two beds, their faces in peace for the first time in over a month. Mia sat on a chair in between them, staring at Eugene and Annie, who were sitting across from Mia.

"How do they look, Annie?" Eugene asked.

Annie sighed, "They're fine for now. But..."

"What is it?" Eugene asked.

Annie paused, and took a deep breath, "To put it simply...they're broken in both body and mind at this point. They've been through so much torture in the last month and suffered malnutrition, meaning that they've become lethargic. They won't be able to move properly for a while until they're ready to try walking again. But what's even worse is their mental state. After they woke up again for that minute after we brought them here, I observed their mental states.

"Kanonno is in slightly better condition than Alex, but overall she's afraid of people and won't let them get near her, or she'll scream. There were no signs of rape on her, but I discovered something frightening- there was a scar on her abdomen. It's still recent, so her abdomen must have been cut open while she was captive. What's more, her eyes were bloodshot when I saw her earlier-she's probably had many nightmares while in captivity. She's in very poor state, in other words.

"But Alex is far worse. He seems to have temporarily lost his sanity while in captivity, and won't do anything in general, as if he has a death wish. He screams because he remembers everything done to him in the prison. There are no signs of rape either, but from his state, he was tortured more harshly than Kanonno was, and seems to have undergone some form of mental trauma. In conclusion...the two of them are practically almost lost."

Eugene's eyes shut, "I was afraid of that. I've seen people who've returned from torture who acted just like these two back when I was still in the military in our world. But if what you say is true, why is it they're not afraid of that woman?"

"Probably because she saved them. It seems they feel a bit better with her around. It's likely they don't even recognize us in their current condition at this time," Annie explained.

"I see. Alright then, now that we have that done, we need to cover the next important thing. Who are you?" Eugene said, looking at Mia.

Mia nodded, "My name is Sergeant Mia Alzen, of the 121st Special Recon Forces for the UFTW. I'm 25 years old and I'm from Ailily in Terresia."

Eugene paused, "The 121st Special Recon Forces? Where was your unit?"

"After the conquest of Granvoise, we were sent to try to investigate as much of Pasca as we could, disguising ourselves as Pascan citizens traveling in groups. Along the way, we would receive word from the Green Blades about the current war situation and we would adjust our plans to fit what was going on," Mia explained.

"Hmm...Now that you mention it, I do remember that the 121st was sent out after Granvoise and we did send and hear reports from you time after time. But we haven't heard from any of you in a while," Eugene said.

Mia's face darkened, "Well...a little over a month ago, we received word that the Descenders Alex Terresca and Kanonno Earhart had possibly been captured by the Pascans and taken to Lavard. After hearing this, we decided to go to the capital and find out as much as we could about the situation and possibly even rescue the two. So we headed straight for the capital...but then tragedy struck.

"My unit was attacked at the Scollance-Lavard border. It was a slaughter...every single soldier was killed. I was only able to survive because during the battle, I ran into a forest and kept on running that night, finally sleeping. When I woke up, the soldiers were gone, but my unit was dead. I continued through the forest, and when I came out, I realized I had finally reached Lavard.

"I decided to continue the mission and rescue Alex and Kanonno. I used all the intelligence we'd received and decided to impersonate a guard for the dungeon. I went all the way through Lavard, and finally reached the capital. For one whole day, I observed one of the guards for the prison, and watched how he did things. The next day, I took him to a back alley, knocked him unconscious, and stole his gear. I bribed an innkeeper to keep him locked in his inn for 24 hours, and then I disguised myself as the guard.

"The next day, that is, today, we went into the dungeon. I managed to get through and rescued these two. I had learned about Alex's teleportation ability, so I convinced him to create a portal and take us here. I saw General Tribilin Hemoses while I was there, and fought him off for a few seconds, then we went through the portal and here we are." Mia concluded.

Eugene stared into her eyes, "I understand...Alright then. I've decided what we'll do. Annie, once the soldiers have recovered, go ahead and join up with the main army along with the reinforcements. I will send word to Kratos about what's happened and I'll await his response for further orders. As for you...Sergeant Alzen, you will stay here with Alex and Kanonno. While you may be in recon, it seems you're the only person these two will let near them. Understood?"

Mia saluted perfectly, "Yes, General Gallardo!"

* * *

That night, Eugene was writing to Kratos, telling him about what happened. As he glanced at the letter, he wrote the last section.

_...However, I'm concerned about that Mia Alzen. While she is definitely a soldier, some things just don't seem right. First off, she has a vacuum-space sphere. Unless she took it from a dead soldier earlier in the war, it seems unlikely she would be in possession of such a device. Second, she is very talented with the sword- she told me she was able to fight Tribilin off "for a few seconds". No recon officer should have that much talent with the sword-she'd definitely be in the frontlines if she did. Lastly, she seemed to have disguised herself as a Pascan soldier _too _well-she said she spent one day observing, but that's nowhere near enough time to memorize all the motions that a Pascan soldier must make. I may be paranoid about this, but I'll keep a close eye on her. I await your response._

_ Lieutenant General Eugene Gallardo_

* * *

Tribilin was standing outside the gates of Lavard, pounding his fists on a gate. He cursed over and over again as he punched the walls, blood coming from his hands.

"Shit! I let that bitch get away with those two! I was going to preserve them to mold them in my own fashion, my own design! Valvus wouldn't have stood a chance! Why!? WHY!? WHY!?"

"Calm down. At least your plans are still on track, aren't they?" A man's voice called out.

Tribilin gasped in surprise, turning around, "Who's there!?"

"Shh...be quiet. Don't worry about a thing; I'm here to help you out, Tribilin Hemoses." The voice continued. Tribilin heard a strange noise in the grass, and turned to his left.

A strange shape stood there in the field with Tribilin. The figure was completely concealed in a black...well, cloak wasn't the word for it. It was more like a rag, a wrecked piece of cloth. The sleeves hung completely around on both arms and legs, indicating this thing was very thin. His head was also covered in a black hood, but Tribilin swore he saw something red in there.

"Who the hell are you?" Tribilin asked.

The figure remained still for several seconds. Finally, it spoke.

"Your ally..."

* * *

**So down goes the Torture Arc. How'd you like it?**

**I'm sorry for be a little later than I promised. During this time, I got a new Visual Novel called **_**Ever17**_** for the PC, and I practically played it non-stop for a week straight. It's one of the most beautiful games that I've played in a long time, and a story so complex and amazing it practically defies all other story conventions. Also, at this time, I am playing **_**Clannad **_**on the PC, which is again taking my time. Sorry.**

**So yeah, things are finally going to resume to normal. Because Alex and Kanonno are in no condition to fight, the next few chapters will focus mostly around the members of Ad Libitum. It'll be different from most chapters, but let's see how it works out.**

**Now, here' a profile for the new character, Mia Alzen**

**Mia Alzen: A young woman who is a soldier for the UFTW. Despite claiming to be a recon soldier, she is a very skilled swordsman.**

**Sex: Female. Age:25. Hair color: Brown. Eye color: Green Weapon: Sword**

**  
Voice actor: Michelle Ruff. Seiyu: Yukari Tamura.**

**Well, see you next time!**


	41. Chapter 39: Axe and Scythe

**Hey there! Final Poke Mario Fan here with the first chapter of the Ad Libitum Arc of RM2! No time to waste, here we go!**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 39: Axe and Scythe

* * *

Siltran was sitting in his room in Scollance Castle. Sipping a cup of wine, he stared at the blue-light viewer in front of him. Valvus was talking to him while Darius showed up on another viewer.

"I see, so the Terresian Descender and Kanonno escaped the dungeon. And you expect that they'll be out for a while?" Siltran said, summing up Valvus' explanation.

Valvus nodded, "Yes. Even though they got away, Tribilin tortured them brutally for a month. Even if the two of them haven't lost their sanity, they're not going to be able to fight for a while due to their muscles lagging from a month without exercise. Even if that was the case, the torture they suffered was so bad that they'd definitely go through a psychological debriefing for a while as well. So we don't have to worry about the Descenders for a while."

"Oh, alright. But what about the rest of the UFTW? According to the latest reports that I've received, the two groups are launching a pincer attack on us from the northwest and southeast. We'll be boxed in before long, and I've also learned that the Green Blades, who are with the UFTW, may be using their inside sources to plan an attack on Helmos very soon. What should we do?" Siltran said, worry in his voice.

"That is part of the reason that I've called for you today. Siltran, the time has come for you to make your debut to the UFTW. You will join up with the main army at Sellard, and then attack the UFTW that's coming from the north. Is your apprentice Anzam finished with his training yet?" Valvus said.

Siltran looked over his shoulder for a second, then nodded, "Yes, he is. He's mastered both of my principal and secondary styles, and is already well-versed on the third style. He may not have fully tested it out on an enemy yet, but I can assure you he's definitely ready for battle."

"Good. Send him up north with your group. If what he's said about his vengeance is true, then when the Pascan Descender eventually returns to combat, he'll gladly take the chance to try and kill her. Now that we've brought both of them to the dungeon and completed our goal, we only need one of the Descenders alive. Give Anzam orders to...do whatever he wants to either of them. Understood?"

Siltran finally understood the full impact of Valvus' words from earlier. Nervously, he saluted the blue-light viewer, "Un-understood, Master Valvus! I promise you, neither of us will let you down!"

"Excellent. Your group shall leave in three days. Send Anzam up tomorrow- if he's as good as you claim he is, then we'll just have to put him through a test run in battle. The UFTW will most likely be headed towards the Sylard Plains, so send him up there. Got it?" Valvus said.

Siltran nodded, "Yes, Master Valvus. Oh, Master Valvus! Important news! Do you remember that tablet that you assigned the Silver Knights to translate? Well, they just got back to me, and they've finished with a translation. I now have the translation written down in our language, so we know what it says."

"Really!? It's been so long, I was beginning to think it would be impossible for them to translate it! Well, what does it say?" Valvus said, his eyes widening.

Siltran pulled out a scroll from his desk, and began reading. "Well, it describes the full powers of each Descender Artifact and what it can do. First off, it describes the Savior Helm. The Savior Helm, as you know, is what causes the user to retain their mind when handling great power such as the one contained in the Ruins of Jezid- without it, you would have lost your mind when you handled its power a few months ago. But there's more to it.

"You see, the Savior Helm has another ability. On the Savior Helm's top is an emerald. That emerald has two powers- it can either negate the use of another Descender's power, or if a Descender uses it, it can enhance their power to its maximum strength for a very short period of time. However this power can be used only four times, then it's gone for good."

Valvus looked confused, "'Emerald'? I never saw an emerald on the Savior Helm."

"You didn't? Well...err, this document was written thousands of years ago. Maybe it was lost. Either way, that's the power of the Savior Helm. Next are the Creator Gauntlets..."

* * *

Kratos sat in his room at the current UFTW base in Todek. On his left hand, he was studying the letter from Eugene, and with his right, he was writing a response to Eugene.

_...Remain in Depas for now. You may send Annie down with the rest of the unit once they've fully recovered. _

_As for Alex and Kanonno, keep them in Depas. They are clearly in no condition to fight from what you've told me. If they are indeed in catatonia, keep them in the rooms of the military base until they recover. Once they've recovered, I want both of them to undergo immediate psychological counseling and recovery. At the same time, have them go under training to regain movement in their muscles._

_Which brings me to another point: this is the perfect opportunity to do something we've wanted to do for several months: we're demoting Alex from Brigadier General to Lieutenant. As we know, Alex never should have been a general; he was forced to by the Terresian government. If we tell them about Alex's disablement, it provides us with a good excuse to demote him. Kanonno will be only demoted to Colonel, since unlike Alex, she actually has had some years of experience in the field._

_And as for that Mia Alzen...her story does sound suspicious indeed. Nevertheless, she was the one who saved the two of them and brought them back to us, so I can't think of any reason that she would be against us. However, there may be a possibility she is a spy for Pasca, so keep her under constant surveillance. If she truly is the only person they'll let close to them, then have her take care of them until they recover from their catatonia. And with that, I leave you._

_Supreme General Kratos Aurion_

* * *

"Really?"

Reid looked up in surprise from the comment that Garr just made. Ad Libitum was sitting around a table in the Todek military base, having just finished dinner. Everyone was staring at Garr, who had his arms crossed.

"That's right. Right now, it seems likely that the Pascan military will be engaging us in more field battles from now on. Up until now, the main reason we've been fighting in the cities is because they didn't have much room to maneuver around in their lands because they had those cities to defend. But if they're going out to meet us for battle, this can only mean one thing," Garr said.

Veigue looked up, "There's very few towns on this side of Scollance, right?"

"Yes, very good, Veigue. Because there's so little towns in Western Scollance, the military is being forced to take the battle out into the fields. Of course, this strategy possesses both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that they don't have to worry about any innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire, that they have much more room to maneuver, and that they're fighting under the exact same conditions that we are. Their disadvantages are..."

"That they won't have as much morale since they're not defending their homes, and that they won't be able to pull any guerilla tactics on us, right?" Farah said.

Garr nodded, "Impressive, Farah. You're absolutely right. Since they're not in their towns or cities, they don't have as great of a desire to fight, which they would gain in a city where they would have a great desire to prevent any of their fellow countrymen from getting caught in battle and to prevent them from suffering the fate that would await them afterwards."

"Huh? But...isn't that one of the advantages that you mentioned?" Lloyd said, confused.

Johnny turned towards him, "It's called a double-edged sword. It works both ways for them in that while it provides them with one advantage; it also provides them with a disadvantage for the same condition. They know this, and yet they've chosen to fight us out in the open. They're clearly trying to play the situation safely."

"And that's not all we've learned," Raine said. "We also have discovered that amongst the reinforcements, their leader is Pascan General Siltran Deios."

There were some surprised gasps at the table, though many just had a confused look. Finally, Arche spoke for that group, "Uh...who's this Siltran guy again?"

"You don't remember? He's one of Valvus' top three generals, and is more or less Valvus' adopted son. Well, considering that none of us have actually seen him before, it's easy to see why many of you have forgotten him," Harold said.

Chester smirked, "Heh! So that bastard's finally crawled out from the hole he was hiding under! Perfect, this is our chance to get him."

"I wouldn't be sure of that, Chester. We know virtually nothing the guy's battle abilities. If he's been made a general, then Valvus must have at least _some _confidence in him. Considering how powerful Darius and Tribilin are, I wouldn't be surprised if Siltran turns out to be just as powerful," Cless said, looking concerned.

Chester frowned a bit, "You're right...I got a bit too far ahead of myself."

"Either way, there's no use worrying about it now if we don't know what he's like. Until we fight him and see for ourselves just how powerful he is, we can't think of any strategy against him," Leon said.

Everyone slowly nodded, and grew silent, each lost in their own thoughts...

* * *

Mia was sitting down in the bedroom where Alex and Kanonno were in. The two of them lay down in their beds, their eyes blankly staring into space. The two of them looked slightly healthier from the last few days of rest, but overall they were still in very bad shape. Mia was currently writing in a journal of some sort, and occasionally looked up at Alex and Kanonno with a sad glance. She then shook it off, and glanced at the objects by Alex's side.

Next to Alex's bed was the Descender Artifacts. They had been kept by Eugene for safe keeping after Alex and Kanonno's capture, and he decided to return them to him after a day of rest.

_Those artifacts are amazing. I've never seen such craftsmanship before in my whole life. I must admit, they are-_

Just then, a knock came from the door. Mia stood up and opened the door. A woman carrying a tray of food entered.

"Sergeant Alzen, I've brought you their meals again, as always," The woman said, bowing.

Mia nodded, and took the tray from her gently, "Thank you. You may go now."

The woman retained the bow, then stood up and left the doorway. Mia stood still holding the tray for a few seconds, and then she walked over to the space in between Alex and Kanonno. She placed the tray down, and was about to feed them when she noticed they had fallen asleep. Mia paused for a second, then placed a cover on the tray. She began to softly hum a tune to herself, then looked at the two one last time before returning to her journal, continuing to hum.

Alex's soft breathing filled the room. Just then, he began to dream...

* * *

_"No way...you can't be serious! That's impossible!" A man's voice called out, young and passionate._

_"When have I ever lied?! The truth is that this is reality, and there's no escaping that!" Another man said. His voice was older and held an air of wisdom._

_"What makes you so sure of that!? How do you know this?" The first man asked._

"Lodric, you already know the answer. It's because of my status as the Original." The second man replied.

_"DAMN IT! This is the ultimate...ultimate betrayal. What purpose do we have left if this is our fate!?" Lodric screamed._

_"Please, calm down! You know that..." A third man said. His voice was a bit older than Lodric's, but younger than the second man's._

_"At this rate, it's inevitable. All will go according the will of destiny. We have little choice but to lie down and die, I guess." The second man said in a resigned tone._

_"...No." Lodric said._

_"What?" The second man's voice was filled with shock._

_"You've got to be kidding me. After hearing a thing like this...you think I'm just going to let it get away with this!? Screw that! As long as I'm alive, I won't allow anything to happen!" Lodric said._

_"Lodric, stop being an idiot! You heard what Protus just said! It's inevitable!" A fourth voice said, belonging to a man. It was deep and gruff, but didn't hold the same wisdom as Protus' voice._

"Says what!? 'Destiny'? Screw destiny! Up until now, I could live with the fact that our fates have been decided for us. But now, I can't live like that anymore! I will fight for my own future!"

_"But Lodric, it's impossible to overcome this situation! The six of us know that better than anyone else!" A fifth voice said, belonging to a young woman._

_  
"She's right. Unless you have some grand plan in mind, you are aware that-"_

"...It's true that I have very little hope of succeeding. I acknowledge that the enemy I'm up against is the strongest thing that I've ever come across. I even know that I have pretty much no chance of surviving the battle. But even so, I will show defiance to fate until the very end! If my life ends with this, then so be it! At least I will have shown that I will not let destiny control me until the end!"

_"You're such an idiot, Lodric." A sixth voice said. This one also belonged to a young woman, but unlike the other one, her voice held a sharper tone to it._

"Wha-?"

_"You keep saying the word 'I'. Since when did you decide that you'd be doing this alone?"_

_  
"Well, I-wait a minute! Are you saying...!?"_

_"Yes. I'll fight alongside you, Lodric. I'm not one to just give up either. I-I love the world. And I don't want to see it all gone just because someone else desires it. I may also die, but I want to protect the world as well."_

_"Hmph. You were always the impulsive one, Akena. You and Lodric, honestly, I don't know what to do with you two. Very well, I've made my decision as well. I'm going to fight with all I've got. Lodric, while what you may be planning is foolish, sometimes a foolish action is necessary for the survival of the world." The fourth one said._

_"I would feel terrible if everyone was to go through this battle without me. I fear that without my abilities, everyone would have a much lower chance of winning. That's why I'll help you too, Lodric. Not only because of you, but to ensure our world has a chance of survival. As the one born to directly connect with Mana, I will do everything I can to save the world!" The fifth said, her voice strong._

_"Heh, now things are getting interesting! If I were by myself, then I would run away with my tail between my legs, but with four others, I feel that there may be a chance for us to win! Count me in, everyone!" The third voice said._

_Protus was silent for several seconds, then he finally spoke, "Are you all...really serious about this? Even though you know your chances of winning are virtually zero?"_

_"Of course we're serious! The whole world shouldn't be forced to die because something else said so! I'm not sure how many enemies I'll have to fight, and frankly, it doesn't matter to me. Not because I have a death wish, but because as long as I'm standing, I will _never_ give up! I will take down anything to protect our world and its people. Even though you say we have no chance of winning Protus, I believe that as long as enough people have the will to do so, then anything can be accomplished! That's why we're going to fight!!!" Lodric exclaimed, his voice filled with determination._

_"Lodric...Your words have moved me. Very well, I'll join with you. Let's just see how six people can fight against the will of destiny. And if it comes down to it, we'll crush destiny with our own hands. Even though I am the Original, I am still a living being, and I have the right to fight for my life," Protus said proudly._

_"Alright then! Then let's do this!" Lodric shouted._

_"But Lodric, we have virtually no way of fighting back right now, right?" The second woman asked._

_"Actually, I have a plan..."_

* * *

Siltran and Anzam were walking down the barren hills of Scollance with the rest of the unit. To anyone who could see them, they were like a giant crowd of brown, smashing through the land. Anzam gripped his hands on his hatchets, which Siltran noticed.

"Are you nervous, Anzam?" Siltran asked.

Anzam stood still for a second, then tensed up, "N-no, Master Deios! I'm ready to take down everything in my path for you!"

"It's alright to admit you're nervous, Anzam. I was too in my first major battle. I kept looking around left and right, back and forth, worrying just where the enemy was. I had a close call with the enemy commander that day, but then Master Valvus came and saved my life. What a disaster. Even after all that training I'd received from Master Valvus, I completely wasted it in that first battle," Siltran said.

Anzam's eyes lowered before a second, then nodded, "Alright, I admit it. I'm scared. Scared that I'll die before accomplishing any of the goals I've wanted to do since I was a child. Scared that I won't be able to exact my revenge on the Descender if I die in the battlefield."

"Right, you told me that your only goal on the battlefield is to kill the Descender, then you'll retire shortly afterwards. Are you sure about that? From what I've seen in the past few months, you have much potential, and still have room for even more growth. It seems like a waste if you let your talents die away," Siltran said.

Anzam paused, then nodded, "I'm sure. I don't want to die here. There's much I have left to live for after this war is over. My future hasn't been set in stone, but I am confident that once I accomplish my duty, I'll be living my life the way I want to. And nothing can convince me otherwise from my path."

Siltran looked over at Anzam, then turned his gaze back to the road ahead, "...Is that right..."

_You're not like me, Anzam. You're not empty like I am. I envy you..._

* * *

The UFTW stood in the fields of Western Scollance, watching over as a thick cloud of Pascan soldiers approaching from the south. The groups of soldiers stood on opposing hills, looking at each other. Generals began to shout orders, and seconds later, two different battle cries filled the field. The clouds then broke into formations, and the battle began.

A while later, Leon ran through the battlefield, slashing soldiers down left and right. As he ran through, he noticed a soldier dual-wielding hatchets run through, cutting anyone in his way.

Leon charged forward, and swung at Anzam. Anzam quickly swung to parry the blow, locking Leon's sword and dagger in a stalemate. Anzam jumped backwards, and raised his hatchets. He swung one low at Leon while crashing down high with the other, and was parried once again by Leon. However, Leon grunted when he noticed Anzam launch a kick towards his stomach.

In one swift movement, Leon ducked, rolled over towards Anzam, and slashed upwards.

_I've got you!_

Just then, Anzam dropped his hatchets, and pulled a spare axe out from his back and slashed at Leon. Leon stared in surprise and parried the axe with his sword and dagger at the same time.

_Master, above you!_

Leon looked up and gasped as he saw both hatchets falling down towards him. Grimacing, Leon broke of the parry, rolled to avoid the swing of the axe, then swung at the hatchets. He hit one of them, which went flying straight towards Anzam. Without batting an eye, Anzam caught the hatchet in his hand, put it away, then lunged forward and swung at Leon. Leon swung back to parry once more, but he noticed he'd neglected to knock away the second hatchet. Anzam picked it up and swung it at Leon, who was again forced to parry.

_Damn, for this entire battle, I've been pushed to the defensive! This man is not an ordinary soldier! However, he's lacking experience!_

Leon jumped back and used Demon Fang, firing it at Anzam. Anzam glanced at the shockwave, and raised his hatchets.

"Dual Swarm!" Upon uttering that phrase, four shockwaves emerged from the hatchets and started moving in a zigzag pattern. Two of the shockwaves collided with the Demon Fang, and all three shockwaves were nullified by each other. The other two headed towards Leon, who began casting.

"Stone Wall!" As Leon finished casting, a pillar of stone rose from his feet to intercept the shockwaves, blocking them off. As Anzam looked in surprise, Leon dashed towards him and used Tiger Blade. Leon knocked aside Anzam's weapons, and slashed him across the arms. Anzam gritted his teeth, and put his hatchets away. He began moving slower, and swung his axe in an arc-like motion, sweeping upwards. Surprised, Leon swung forward with both his weapons, and intercepted the strike. Anzam's axe suddenly glowed.

"Destruction Impact!" Anzam's axe seemed to release a fire upon that phrase, and Anzam swung down with incredible force, knocking Leon down. Anzam then slammed his axe on the ground, and a fire blast came from Anzam's axe and slammed into Leon. Leon cried out in pain, then got up and used a Swallow Kick towards Anzam. Anzam jumped back quickly, but Leon followed up with a Moon Slice, and knocked Anzam's axe out of his hands. Anzam gasped, but then simply pulled out two new throwing axes that were attached to his back.

_Just how many axes does this guy have?_ Leon thought. He quickly scanned Anzam's body, and was relieved to find out that he only had five, including these two. However, he focused again, and Anzam threw both axes out, then stretched his arms out. Leon quickly rolled out of the way of the axes, which missed him. Grinning, Leon ran towards Anzam, only to gasp when he saw them coming from behind him. Leon ran to the side, and stared at Anzam.

_Being able to manipulate weapons like that...wait a minute!_ Leon quickly looked at Anzam's gloves. He quickly noticed a small gray-red stone on each glove.

_Damn, he's a Trekan user, just like Darius! And that's not all; he's got two weapons as well! But...as long as he doesn't have the experience to back it up, it means nothing! Still, he not only has access to Trekan, he's also got five axes, can use stronger Artes-he's clearly no common soldier. He's got to be in touch with Siltran or some other general._

Leon then rose up, and charged towards Anzam, barely dodging the axes that swirled by him. When the axes were flanking Leon, Anzam snapped his fingers in a certain pattern.

"Voltage Douse!" One of the axes suddenly glowed blue, and shot a jet stream of water at Leon. Moments later, the second axe glowed light blue and fired lightning at Leon. The two collided, and Leon cried out in pain as his electrocution was intensified by the water. Leon quickly shook off the pain, and used Stone Blast. The small rocks rose into the air and collided with the axes, knocking them off balance. As Anzam struggled to regain control, Leon ran in and slashed Anzam with his dagger.

Anzam cried out in pain, and closed his hands twice. Leon quickly slashed upwards with his sword, but Anzam quickly grabbed his hatchets and parried the blow. Leon then struck through, and spoke.

"Bastard, just who the hell are you? You're not an ordinary soldier, that's for sure," Leon then used a Swallow Kick, which Anzam blocked.

"And just why would I tell you my name?! What purpose would that serve?" Anzam said, throwing his axes again, and controlling them with the Trekan. He swerved them towards Leon, who jumped to avoid it. However, one of the axes caught on his cape, and knocked Leon to the ground. As the second axe came for Leon's head, Leon detached the cape from his body, and rolled out in time.

"Even if you won't say your name, I can tell that from our battle that while you've barely fought a real battle, you've been trained extensively. I'd assume it's someone like Siltran, right?" Leon used Double Demon Fang, and shot them at Anzam, who jumped over them, losing his concentration. Leon then swung a precise blow with his sword and dagger at the same time, slashing Anzam down. Anzam cried out in pain, and began to bleed. He ran over, and quickly threw an Apple Gel into his mouth.

"What would you know?! Master Deios is-" Anzam began to talk, but before he could finish, he noticed something. He gasped, and began to run away from Leon. Leon began to chase him, but stopped when he noticed what Anzam had.

* * *

A few minutes earlier, Siltran stood down at the field, looking at his opponent. Standing directly across from him was Senel, his fists raised.

"So, you're one of the members of 'Ad Libitum'. To think I'd encounter one of you in my first campaign of the war," Siltran said, sizing up Senel.

Senel gritted his teeth, "And just who the hell are you?!"

"My name? I am Siltran Deios, Master Valvus' third general. As-"

Siltran's sentence was cut off when he saw Senel jump high into the air, then kicked towards him with incredible speed. Siltran jumped to the side, barely avoiding Senel's attack. Senel landed, then immediately turned to Siltran.

"Hmph, not a bad move. But that is the last time you'll catch me off guard!" Siltran shouted. He drew his short sword, and charged at Senel. He swung across towards Senel's legs, but Senel countered with an upward kick. Senel's greaves met the sword, and blocked off Siltran. Siltran quickly thrust forward, but Senel merely jumped to the side. Siltran quickly swung his sword in a circle, attempting to catch Senel.

Seeing this opening, Senel quickly used a Dragon Swarm, running forward and punching Siltran several times. Siltran grunted, and fell back. Siltran then jumped forward to swing at Senel, but Senel simply slid under him and kicked Siltran in the legs. Siltran groaned once more, and slashed at Senel again. Once more, Senel blocked the slash, and kicked the blade forward, knocking Siltran to the ground.

_You've got to be kidding me! This guy fights like an amateur! How in the hell did he ever become a general?!_

Senel ran forward, grabbed Siltran by the legs, and used Rending Earth, lifting Siltran's body up and throwing it to the ground. Siltran cried out in pain, and Senel quickly grabbed the short sword and threw it into the battlefield. Siltran got up, and noticed his weapon was gone. Senel smirked.

"Is that all you've got? Our battle barely lasted a minute!" Senel said.

Siltran coughed for a second, then looked down, "Yes, it seems I severely underestimated you. Being able to push me back like this in such short time is impressive. In fact...I think I have little choice but to use it."

"Huh?"

Siltran closed his eyes. Suddenly, his body began radiating silver light from his arm. Siltran spoke.

"_**Restraint, off. Engage Weapons Shift Gate!**_"

Suddenly, a light similar to Alex's portals appeared behind Siltran. Senel quickly ran forward, fists ready, when Siltran reached into the portal. A second later, Senel gasped as he saw an arrow headed towards him. He jumped backwards, then was surprised to see a javelin flying straight at him. He jumped to the side, then suddenly gasped as he felt a metal ball bash him in the side. Senel screamed, and flew back several feet. He looked up, and gasped.

Behind Siltran was a wide, silver portal. Sticking out of the portal were over forty types of weapons, positioned to be used at any time. Siltran was holding a ball and chain in his hands, and directly behind him was a bow and arrow, along with another javelin.

"Wh-what the..."

Siltran gazed at Senel emotionlessly, "This is my ability-my Weapons Shift Gate. Let me be honest with you: unlike virtually every other soldier, I have never mastered a single weapon, and I cannot perform any physical Base or Arcane Artes. I'm absolutely terrible with swords-with one, I'm no better than a common soldier. But every weapon fascinates me, how they can be absolutely useless in one situation yet incredibly lethal in another. That's why, instead of mastering a certain weapon, I have trained with over 50 different weapons in my life."

"This Weapons Shift Gate allows me to store every single weapon I possess into an alternate, vacuum-space dimension. I can summon it at any time, and every single one of my weapons are ready to be used when I reach into the Gate. This is my strength. So let me ask you this-is this all you've got?!"

Grunting, Senel jumped up into the sky again, using Phoenix Strike. As he approached Siltran, he gasped as his movement was halted as something wrapped around his leg. Siltran was now holding a simple chain, and had entangled Senel's leg. Siltran swung the chain up and down, crashing Senel into the ground. Senel screamed in pain, and Siltran's arm glowed light blue.

Electricity flowed through the metal chain directly into Senel's body. Senel cried out in pain as he felt his entire body roast. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly got an idea. He waited until Siltran swung him downwards. Senel quickly grabbed the chain with both of his hands, then with all his might, he pulled backwards. Siltran gasped in surprise as he flew forwards, and was thrown up to the air.

Still chained to Siltran, Senel waited until Siltran was directly under him. He grabbed the chain harder, and swung down towards the ground. Siltran grunted as his body landed right in the dirt. Senel then kicked Siltran with his free leg, but his eyes widened as he noticed something.

_The...THE GATE'S STILL BEHIND HIM!_

Siltran quickly grabbed out a dagger from the Gate, and stabbed Senel through the right side of his chest. Senel gasped as he felt the blade barely miss his right lung. As he coughed out blood, Siltran regained control of the chain and held Senel up. He reached his left hand into the Gate and retrieved an axe, then swung at Senel with all his strength.

Senel then raised his right leg, and smashed down on the chain. This caused Siltran to lose his balance slightly and miss Senel. Senel then used the time to finally break free of the chain, and immediately performed a Swallow Storm on Siltran. Siltran grunted as Senel kicked him multiple times, then swung the axe again. Senel evaded the attack, and managed to land a roundhouse kick on Siltran.

Siltran closed his eyes, and threw the axe back into the gate. Suddenly, Senel gasped as some sort of blade came towards him, and he rolled to the side. He then noticed the blade continued to follow him, and he was forced to keep running. His eyes widened upon seeing Siltran's weapon.

Siltran was wielding a scythe attached to a chain, swinging it with the greatest precision. When the scythe landed in the ground next to Senel, Siltran swung it upwards, then with absolute speed, quickly resumed spinning the chained scythe. Senel quickly tried to run towards Siltran, but he was stopped by the path of the scythe, which was simply moving too fast.

Senel launched a Twin Demon Fist at Siltran. Siltran moved his scythe so it swung lower, and hit back both shockwaves, stunning Senel. Senel quickly ran out of the way, then once again launched another Phoenix Strike to get closer to Siltran. Siltran looked shocked as Senel had him in an opening, and Senel could feel himself getting closer.

Wham.

Senel gasped as the blunt end of the scythe smashed against him with great force, and he felt several of his ribs shatter. The combined velocity of the Phoenix Strike and the scythe's crash sent Senel flying back like a rag doll, his body skidding across the ground. Senel screamed in pain, feeling his muscles weaken from the sliding. He coughed up blood, and lay on the ground, unable to move.

Siltran walked forward slightly, getting in range of Senel. "Well, this was definitely a great battle. However, this is it for you."

Siltran raised his chain, and the scythe rose into the air. Senel closed his eyes, afraid of his imminent death. Suddenly, Senel heard a coughing sound, along with the slam of the scythe. Confused, he opened his eyes.

Siltran had fallen to the earth, coughing extremely. The Gate had faded away, along with the chained scythe. Blood seeped from his mouth, and from what Senel could tell, it sounded like Siltran was suffocating. Siltran frantically searched his pockets and bags for something, and his eyes grew frantic when he clearly couldn't find it.

_What is this?_ If Senel could move, he would finish off Siltran right there, but his body was too battered.

Just then, Anzam ran up to Siltran, "MASTER DEIOS!" Is it your sickness?"

"Re...re...retre...ack...retreat...nee...d...silv...ack...ver...bell..." Siltran weakly moaned, coughing even more.

Anzam cursed, then threw his hatchet into the air, and shouted. The hatchet released a red light that lightened the cloudy sky. The Pascan army saw the light, then immediately turned around to flee. When UFTW pursuers chased them, they were stopped when the Pascan army used fire spells to cover their escape.

Senel's vision began to fade, and he felt his body grow weak. The last thing he remembered was someone calling out his name...

* * *

Siltran sat down on a horse, catching his breath. He held a bottle of medication in his hand, and a silver bell in the other. Anzam rode to his left, looking concerned. On his right was the third Silver Knight, also staring at him. The Silver Knight rode closer to him, and spoke.

"_Fratre, tues ide kalfen?_" The Silver Knight asked. Like the first Silver Knight, this Silver Knight was also female, though she sounded older than the first one.

Siltran turned to the Silver Knight, "_Benin, grazen. Ide ogurlin respin a inoch._"

Anzam watched the two in silence, not sure what to do, when Siltran turned to him, "Anzam, you're wounded! How did that happen?"

"Forgive me, Master Deios. I fought a particularly strong soldier, and he got a good hit in on me. I'm sorry for this disgrace..." Anzam said, his face low.

"It was your first battle, Anzam. To be injured in your first battle is incredibly common for all soldiers. Just consider yourself lucky that you're alive. If you fought a strong soldier, then he or she was probably an Ad Libitum member. Tell me about them."

"Yes, Master Deios! Well, he..."

* * *

Tribilin sat in his room in Lavard, staring at the dark cloaked figure. The blinds were completely closed, and the door was locked heavily. For the first time in a long while, Tribilin's face was completely covered in shock.

"Are you serious about all of this?!" Tribilin said, his voice filled with excite

The figure simply nodded. "As I told you, I will never tell you a lie. I am completely serious about everything I have told you over the past few days. And now, here comes my question: will you do it? Will you help me?"

Tribilin paused for several seconds, then his trademark smirk returned, "Of course I will. This is it-this is finally my chance to rebel against Valvus! Everything is finally coming to the climax...excellent...simply excellent! Heh heheh...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Perfect. Well then, I suppose it's time for me to reveal myself to Valvus and offer him my services. Let's go, Tribilin," The hooded figure said, motioning towards the door.

Tribilin nodded, "Yes, let us begin our path-our path to _our_ Assimilation."

* * *

**Hi, how did you enjoy this chapter? I'm sorry that over half of it was fighting scenes, but I felt that after so little battle scenes after three chapters, I needed to compensate in this chapter. If you're not a fan of the battle scenes, then I'm sorry. Next chapter should have a little less, but I'm trying to set up elements right now that will be important to the story's finale, so things might get a little confusing or hectic. I'm sorry is this is too much for some of you.**

**So yes, this time I tried experimenting with other Tales characters in battles. Originally, Siltran wasn't supposed to be fought until Chapter 49, in order to keep his battle style a secret for as long as possible, but by the time I reached this chapter, I figured he needed to finally get some spotlight after many chapters of being ignored, so that's why he fought Senel in this chapter.**

**  
Also, the scene between Tribilin and the cloaked figure was scheduled for a later chapter, but I figured that I should show them a bit more after the cliffhanger from the last chapter. I understand that when it comes to villains, Tribilin has been getting too much spotlight (he's my favorite to write- I know, I'm so messed up!), so he'll disappear for a few chapters unless any of you have objections.**

**I will also apologize for this chapter's short length compared to some of the other chapter, but I had a bit of a writer's block for this chapter, so I rushed it slightly at some parts.**

**  
Also, I understand a lot of my writing in this chapter is incredibly vague, but it's in order to prevent any plot spoilers from coming out this early! Otherwise the story wouldn't be as fun. However, if any of you have problems with this writing style, then please tell me.**

**Here's a profile of the cloaked figure Tribilin met (his name will be given in a few chapters.**

Name: ??? Age: ??? Hair color: ??? Eye color: ???

**  
Voice Actor: David Vincent. Seiyu: Koji Yusa.**

**And even though it's pointless anyway, I've decided to change the seiyu for Tribilin.**

**Tribilin: Seiyu change from Bin Shimada to Tomokazu Seki.**

**See you next chapter!**


	42. Chapter 40: Devoted Soul, Living Corpse

**Hey! Final Poke Mario Fan here, prepared with the next chapter. Here it is!**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 40: Devoted Soul, Living Corpse

* * *

_"This is amazing! Fimoce, I can't believe you actually did it!" Lodric's voice exclaimed, filled with awe and excitement._

_"Hey, just who do you think you're talking to? I'm the best there is at this kind of work, Lodric. And why are you so amazed about it anyway? This was all your idea. Unless you're saying that you had no confidence in your plan?" Fimoce said._

_"Heh, well, I suppose that's true. You know that I'm rather impulsive, so to be honest, I only half believed in my own plan," Lodric said, embarassed._

_"Well of course. You've screwed up plenty of times in the past, haven't you? Remember that time at that cave by the sea where-" Akina began._

_"Ah, no, don't bring that up! I'm begging you!" Lodric shouted desperately. While nothing could be seen, he was clearly blushing._

_"Hee hee hee...you all seem to be having fun," The second girl said._

_"Hey, whose side are you on, ______?" Lodric said._

(**Huh? That word...why can't I hear that word?**)

_"I'm just going along with whatever you guys say, that's all. Even though we're in a tight spot right now, we need to keep positive, right? After all, our enemy is great," The second girl said._

_"Yeah, that's right! As long as we keep looking to the future, we'll never go down! We need to show those bastards that we're not afraid of them! We're going to beat the crap out of them so bad that they'll never know what hit them! And with this success, we can finally do so!" Lodric said._

_"Well, it seems you're quite overconfident, Lodric," Protus' voice called._

_"Overconfident!? What do you mean?!" Lodric yelled._

_"Think about it again, Lodric. It's true that we have the power to finally combat our opponent. But unless you can use that power to its full extent, it won't make a difference in the end," Protus said._

_"...You're right, Protus. I-I guess I got a little too excited. Yeah, that's right. I'll need to become more careful about how I think from now on, huh? I still can't believe things have changed so quickly," Lodric said in a somber tone._

_"Yeah...you're right about that," Akina said._

_"But if possible, I don't want any of us to die. We're all in this together, and it shouldn't be fair that even one of us won't get to see the world we're about to save. That's just not right," Lodric said._

"_Lodric, listen. You…"_

* * *

Alex opened his eyes as he awakened from the dream, and found himself once again staring at the ceiling. For a moment, he considered turning his head, but as always, his mind awoke and entrapped him in his paranoia. Straining his ears, he could hear the breathing of two women-Kanonno and Mia. Kanonno was still asleep in her bed, her eyes shut tightly as she dreamed away. Mia sat in the corner of the room, currently examining her sword and performing maintenance on it. As Alex continued to lie down, his mind was filled with words.

_theY'Re OUt ThEre. They'Ll hurT Me. nO onE cAN BE trUSTeD. pain, DEATH, bLOod, rEd, knIfE, PAIn, hElL. eVerYONe BUT THaT woMAn Is gOInG TO hUrt me. bRIng IT on, I'LL kilL YOu aLL. no LiFE nO Pain No DeATh, a dARk IlLUsiOn, a HoPelESS fiGHt. BlOOd feAR RED tWiSt bEnd FLAme CUT sTAB THRuSt DRug NO PaIN no PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN NO PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Alex began to thrash slightly in the bed, his breath going faster. Mia immediately stopped what she was doing and looked at Alex.

_Oh shit-not again!_

Mia ran over to Alex, who had moved his hands over to his neck, and began strangling himself. Despite all the straining he was putting into it, his hands held barely any power, and Alex kept struggling to increase his strength. Mia went up to him and grabbed his arms, pulling them away from his neck. Alex let out a scream, and tried to pull his hands back, but Mia pushed them away. Alex then tried to lift his neck, but stopped when he found his body could barely muster any more strength. Horrified, Alex looked around, and began rambling.

"kIlL Me alREaDY, yOU BasTArDS! no morE! eNd iT AlREAdY, dAMN IT! No MORE! NO MORE! AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

At this point, Alex's arms began to glow slightly, the destruction mana beginning to build up. Mia grunted, and quickly grabbed a bottle of pills on the tableside, and quickly poured them into Alex's mouth. Alex let out a large gasp, and tried to cough the pills out, but it was no use. Seconds later, Alex's muscles began to calm down, and the mana built up died down. Alex's breath grew slower, and he eventually stopped, closing his eyes again...

* * *

Prophet continued to hang on the crystal tablet, chained up with magical energy. Unlike last time, however, the chains looked a bit lighter this time, and Prophet could move very slightly. They watched the scene below them with conflicting emotions.

_Alex, Kanonno...you can't give in like this! You need to fight it! Don't think you're all alone in this! There are so many people who care for you out there...don't let their thoughts all go to waste! _The high-pitched voice said.

_**Hmph. What "people" are you even talking about?**_

_Don't play dumb! You know that Ad Libitum-_

_**-thinks very little of Alex, yes.**_

_What!? You bastard, take that back!_

_**I'm only speaking the truth. Sure, they may seem nice to him on the outside, but in reality, all of them barely think of him. Since he doesn't talk to them all that much, he hasn't left any real impression on them other than, "He's the Descender," "He's a good warrior." As we can see, they're going on just fine without him.**_

_W-well..._

_**As for Kanonno, she has left a much better impression on them than Alex ever has. Unlike Alex, who broods in his fate, Kanonno accepts it. She realizes that she needs to make the best of her limited days and live life to the fullest extent. But even that's not enough to get everyone's attention. No matter how close she gets to everyone, there's a permanent wall there between man and Descender. Kanonno has broken said wall as much as she can, but no matter what, she'll never be able to tear down that last piece. And of course, you're forgetting how many people there are in Ad Libitum. There's so many of them that two people are not a great loss to them. They're not the kind to reject others, but even they have the company of others to ease their minds.**_

_But..._

_**Face the truth. These "people" that "care" so much for these can't do anything for them. Not a single word of theirs would ever reach their ears, and they'll be lost in the maze of insanity forever. There's no hope of them ever escaping that maze with the help of Ad Libitum.**_

_...Then I've got no other choice. I'll have to talk to them._

_**You? What could you possibly do to help them?**_

_I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell them everything._

_**Wha...?! Are you mad!? If we do that, then our existence may be lost! All this time, we've been instructed not to reveal the truth, and only now are you thinking of doing it! Don't you understand that it won't make a difference to them?!**_

_I'm aware of the risks. I know that this may be the last time we ever get to talk to them. But they've already come so far! They've already got two of the Descender Artifacts, and we've given them the clue they need to obtain the third! If we tell them the truth now, there'll be no consequences aside from our lost existence! _

_**You're completely forgetting the reason we've been avoiding the truth in the first place! If they found out the truth, then we'd lose control over them! The war would go completely off the scale, and those two would be killed and everything would be lost! This is exactly why we didn't tell Alex about the fact Kanonno was Belladonna, or tell Kanonno about her lost memories while she was still Belladonna! There's no way you can take such a risky move!**_

_Then what other option do you think there is?!_

_**...**_

_Listen, I'll admit it now: you're the smarter one of us two. I'm way too impulsive at times, and often act on my gut instinct, rather than you who puts thought into every move you take. Hell, we're imprisoned right now because of that planning. But I've thought this through, and I know right now that there's no other option for us. Our goal this entire time has been to make sure Alex and Kanonno survive this war until the very end, and thanks to you, that goal has been completely derailed. Just look at those two now- Alex has lost his will to live, and Kanonno is completely lost and doesn't know what to think anymore._

_That girl-Mia, she can't do anything. She can calm them down for a bit, but that's it! As time goes on, those two will only get worse! Eventually, a day will come when they'll be lost completely, when even telling them the truth will have no effect on them. So I've come to the conclusion that this is the only way to help them. If Ad Libitum can't help them, then we're the only ones who can._

_**Just listen to what you're saying! Are you really willing to destroy our existence just to save them? I can't understand this foolishness coming from you! **_

_Someone like you could never understand. You have no feeling whatsoever! You know, I actually feel a bit sorry from you. All your life, everything you've ever felt has been some sort of hate, hasn't it? It's almost pitiful..._

_**Shut up. Just shut up now.**_

_You'll have to face it someday soon. Maybe not from my mouth, maybe not from theirs, but someday you'll have to come to realize it._

_**Not if I can help it. **_

_Seriously, you need to stop living in so much denial! You're beginning to think about it, aren't you? About how you may have been wrong this whole time about those two. Seeing them from a different perspective must have had some kind of impact on you, right? Right?_

_**I told you to shut up! I'm going for now. Go ahead and keep observing or whatever the hell you want to do in this state.**_

_Wait! Listen to-_

At that point, the high-pitched voice stopped speaking, for the deep-pitched voice had already retreated into the recesses of their mind. A few moments of silence passed, and then the high-pitched voice sighed.

_Please...don't let anything terrible to those two. There's only two weeks left until we get freed. Mia...I don't know who you are, but I'm counting on you to maintain their sanity for now... _

* * *

In the city of Gizoh, located in the south center of Scollance, Nomvar and Senza were sitting in the strategy room of the local base. Sitting with them was General Miraz, who looked down with concern. After staring down at something on the table for a few seconds, General Miraz looked up.

"I know that the two of you are not officially part of the military, but I really need your help right now in this situation. Will you help me out?" General Miraz said.

Nomvar nodded, "Of course. What is it?"

"First of all, I know that you're constantly receiving reports from your spies from every town and city in Pasca. What does your report on Helmos say right now?" General Miraz he said.

Senza quickly pulled out a scroll, and opened it, "Let's see...According to them, the morale of the soldiers is-er, he calls it a 'mixed bag'. By that, he goes on to say that right now, the soldiers are getting worried about the loss of territory in Scollance to the UFTW. But at the same time, this is having a reverse effect on them; all of the soldiers are practically screaming for battle, determined to avenge their lost comrades.

"They've increased their fortifications heavily, and their fleet has formed a ring around the harbor. Every ship that goes through the harbor now has to be inspected by the Pascan military. Many traders and citizens are beginning to grow unhappy with them as a result, and the economy is starting to suffer."

Nomvar looked up at the ceiling, "It doesn't sound good. In every single war Scollance has been involved with, Helmos has always been one of the hardest cities to capture. Out of those 27 wars, Helmos was only captured in four of them, and three of them were early wars. It's become practically legendary for its ability to quickly alternate between port city and fortress in war time."

"But hold on a minute. Wasn't Emperor Goden actually able to capture Helmos in one of the wars? Apparently, he used a 'brilliant strategy' of sorts to do it," General Miraz asked.

Nomvar shook his head, "He did, but it was because he knew the layout of Helmos like the back of his hand. He took several men, snuck into the underground sewer system, and managed to get directly under the base. At the same time, he had prepared ships to wait a distance away.

He then had his men open the sewer covers to the town, then quickly teleported away. Finally, he used a group of mages who were experts in fire magic to heat up the tunnels. The result was the sewer water turned to steam and rose out of the covers. The smell was so bad that the enemy soldiers were literally paralyzed by the smell. Valvus' unit then rushed into the city in masks, and then overran the city. That's how he-"

"Wait, wait hold on a second! Did I hear you right?!" General Miraz said, bewildered.

"What do you mean, General Miraz?" Nomvar asked.

"Are you telling me...that Valvus' 'brilliant strategy' was forcing the enemy to smell their own _shit?!_" General Miraz shouted.

Nomvar shrugged, "It worked, didn't it? Helmos is known for having a terrible sewer system."

General Miraz just sat there in shock for a couple of seconds, then finally let a huge sigh, "W-well, anyway, what about that? Is there any way we could, er, do some sort of strategy like that?"

"Let's just say Helmos learned a lot from that experience. They sealed up their vents permanently and completely blocked off the side entrances to the sewers. We'll need another plan," Nomvar said.

"Hmm...this is troubling. Either way, the reason I called both of you here because I was hoping you could help me form a strategy to break through into Helmos. I take it from your intel that a seaborne attack wouldn't work?" General Miraz said.

"Attacking Helmos from the sea is the worst possible place to attack it. Even when it's not war time, the defenses on the sea are simply staggering. A siege will also be impossible, considering that if we try to blockade them from the sea, they'll simply blast us away with their superior firepower. Not to mention that so far, we've lost nearly all of the naval battles we've had with Pasca during the war anyway. In other words, we'd have more luck trying to walk on water," Senza said.

Nomvar nodded, "However, if we go from land, we have a slightly larger chance of victory. Their soldiers have a greater emphasis on sea warfare, so as a drawback, they're not as strong when it comes to fighting on land. However, I wouldn't count on that. Being one of those who also _failed_ to capture Helmos in the past, Valvus should have reinforced the city with guards that can fight well on land."

General Miraz frowned, "Mmh...this is not good at all. What hope do we have for taking the city at this rate? Is it entirely necessary that we capture this city?"

"I wouldn't say that it is, but think of it this way: if we capture this city, we'll severely weaken the rest of the military. Think of this battle as a turning point: if we win, we'll be the ones in the lead in this war. But remember general, it's not completely necessary that we think of a winning tactic today. The rest of the UFTW will come from the western side, so we can wait for them. However, I do think out agents stationed in Helmos can run a little sabotage..." Nomvar said, his face serious...

* * *

Siltran was with Anzam at their tent in the fields of Western Scollance, his body on the ground. Anzam was wrapped in bandages at several points. However, Siltran was lying on the ground, with a cold cloth on his head

"Master Deios, how are you feeling?" Anzam said.

Siltran looked up, a faint look on his face, "I'm alright. My consumption attack has died down, but it'll be a few days before I'm back to normal. In the meantime, I've appointed General Pikost as my replacement for now until my health returns to normal. However, I still want you to report directly to me, understood?"

"Of course, Master Deios. My loyalties lie only with you! I swear, I shall not disgrace you again like I did this time!" Anzam said, standing upright into a salute.

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that...ack, ugh!" Siltran said, then he broke out into a cough, and covered his mouth. Anzam panicked when he saw blood flowing out of it once again, but Siltran held up his arm to stop him. Siltran coughed for a few more seconds, and then slowed down a bit until his cough finally subsided. He took a deep breath, and lay back further.

Anzam came closer, "Master Deios, are you really alright? Shouldn't you take some of your medicine?"

Siltran shook his head, "The medicine doesn't work that way. Consumption is an incurable disease, you know, and I suffer from a rare variant of it. The best my medicine can do is to more or less restrain the disease from getting worse, but over time, the disease learns to overcome it, and I need higher dosages when that happens. Also, when I fall into an attack like I did earlier, it's too late for the medicine to work, and I need to wait for my body to recover enough on its own before I can take the medicine again."

"Dammit! So what you're saying is that there's nothing I can do to help you?! Is there any way that your consumption can be cur-" Anzam said.

"Weren't you listening? I just told you that it's an incurable disease. There's no way to stop the symptoms no matter what," Siltran said in a flat voice.

Anzam clenched his fists, "Come on, Master Deios! Haven't you at least tried to find some sort of cure for your disease at all! You sound like you've just given up, but that's not right! You should keep looking for a way to save your own life! There's always got to be a way, right? Nothing is hopeless, nothing at all! Don't you want to live on at all?! Don't you..."

"_DON'T TALK AS IF YOU'RE ME, ANZAM!_"

Anzam froze, and stood back, mouth agape. He had never once heard Siltran that angry at anything before.

"So you assume I just 'gave up', didn't you!? You don't think I want to live, is that it!? Of course not! I want to keep living on! I hate this disease. I hate this damn consumption more than anything! It angers me to think how short my life is going to be! I want to serve Master Valvus all the way to his deathbed! I want to be there for him so that he never suffers! I want to make sure that he's never alone, that he always has just one person he can always count on!

"But life's simply not that easy! I'm going to die young! There, I said it! I probably don't even have a year left! If it weren't for this medicine, I would have died years ago! But there's nothing I can do about it, alright? You don't think I didn't search for a cure at all?! I searched for almost 20 years!"

Anzam stared in shock, "Twenty years!? But...that would mean you were-"

"12, yes. I first developed the disease when Master Valvus took me in. It was terrible-so terrible I cried many times as a boy. But I had to be strong. So I endured it. I kept looking for a cure, and Master Valvus used all the influence he had at the time to search for a cure. We looked for those long 20 years...and found nothing. Still, that meant nothing. I trained every day. I never mastered the sword, but instead trained with the many different weapons that you've seen. I felt embarrassed not being able to train with a sword, but Master Valvus just smiled at me and told me it didn't matter," Siltran began.

"The pain would get worse and worse, but my will was strong. I eventually gained enough mastery to wield forty different types of weapons and use them at an equal level. In order to commemorate my achievement, Master Valvus managed to give me the Weapons Shift Gate. I was so happy that day...not because I had received such a strong power, but that Master Valvus had deemed me worthy enough to entrust me with such a strong power. It gave me an actual meaning, a feeling of being wanted."

"What do you mean by that?" Anzam asked.

"For every one of us, there is something in our lives that defines us. But in order to gain that definition, we need other people. If there was no one else around you, then your whole existence becomes meaningless, for nothing remains for you to interact with. You gain meaning from the actions you perform, which are seen by other people. For you, for instance, you have a passion for blacksmith work. As for being seen by another person, you, for example, may find it in the form of a great friend or lover. But as for me..." Siltran said.

Anzam leaned in a bit, "Yes?"

"There is nothing. I am nothing. I have no hobbies, no pursuits or interests, no desire to feel love, not even a friend. The only thing that defines me...no, the only thing possible of defining me...is serving Master Valvus. Being useful to him is the only thing in my life that gives me true pleasure. Whenever he wants to use me, I feel a great sense of excitement and joy. Ever since that day I was rescued, my only thoughts have been 'what can I do to help Master Valvus?' I don't care what Master Valvus tells me to do. If he asked me to massacre an entire city, I would do it. Even if he asked me to kill myself, I would gladly do it," Siltran said.

"What do you mean, you can feel nothing except when Emperor Goden is using you!? I can't understand that, I just can't! Why!? Why!?" Anzam shouted, anger in his voice.

Siltran sighed, "Then let me explain it in a metaphor. Anzam, let's take your main axe for an example. What does it feel?"

Anzam paused, confused by the question, and then answered, "Nothing, of course. An axe is an inanimate object.'

"That's right. Your axe is something that was made by human hands. It's artificial, it can't feel anything. But what if, for example, your axe had a consciousness of its own? It wouldn't be able to talk, but it could still feel everything around it. Then what do you think it would be feeling now?' Siltran asked.

"...Nothing?"

"Yes. Since your axe is doing nothing but staying by your side, it feels nothing. Do you think it would feel nothing in the middle of a battle?'

"I...I don't think so. I'm sure it would feel something...perhaps even satisfaction that it was serving a purpose. But why are you asking me these questions?"

"Because I'm that axe. Do you understand now, Anzam? I am Master Valvus' weapon, nothing more than that. Unless I'm being used by him, I feel nothing except for the sights around me. That is my existence. And even though I may die soon, I'll die in happiness knowing that my actions were all to serve Master Valvus."

Anzam stood still. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he was about to speak, then closed his mouth. Siltran noticed this, and his eyes narrowed.

"What is it, Anzam?"

Anzam paused for a second, and then shook his head, "No...it's nothing."

_Dammit! Dammit! I'm useless-absolutely useless! I've sworn to devote myself to my revenge and Master Deios, yet I can't even help him right now in his time of need! We're stalling too long...at this point, the UFTW will attack this camp by tomorrow! I can't let this happen! Hold on a second...._

"Master Deios, we're in the Rygon Hills right now, right?" Anzam said.

Siltran nodded, "Yes, we are. Why?"

"I have an idea..."

* * *

It was nighttime at the UFTW camp. Most people were either asleep or in the process of doing so. The Ad Libitum members were sitting outside in front of their tents, talking to each other happily. At that time, Raine, Cless, Tear, Farah, and Philia were engaged in a deep conversation.

"So you're really telling me that there's Summon Spirits on your world as well?!" Raine said.

"Well, yeah. We have one for each element: Sylph of Wind, Efreet of Fire, Undine of Water, Gnome of Earth, Maxwell of Origin, Luna of Light, and Volt of Lightning. I'm not sure, but a friend of mine- a summoner, actually- said there might be a few more I don't know about, but I never saw them," Cless said.

Farah's head shot up, "Huh, you serious?! We have Summon Spirits on our world as well, and they have the exact same names you just said! Oh, but we have a few others, like Celsius of Ice and Shadow of Darkness. And we have a spirit of Light as well, but her name is Rem instead of Luna."

"Hmm, interesting. While our world doesn't have any Summon Spirits, those names that you just mentioned are the names of some of our months in Auldrant," Tear, who had been looking at a strange green blossoming flower next to her, said.

"FASCINATING! So, not only do several worlds have Summon Spirits, but they all seem to be the same Spirit in each world! Absolutely fascinating...I must look into this further after the war! Though it's strange that Sylvarant only has four Summon Spirits, whereas you two have about seven or eight. Strange, but that makes it even more interesting! I can't wait to see these spirits on your worlds!" Raine shouted, looking absolutely enamored.

Cless frowned, "But it really is strange. Why is it that our worlds have the same Summon Spirits? There doesn't seem to be any connection of sorts between our worlds, right? I mean, besides Gilgulim being the hub."

"That's a good question. Maybe it has something to do with the way mana is linked to all our worlds? Think about the Descenders, for instance. Even though there are so many different worlds, there are several worlds that have Descenders. That must mean they have a common origin, right? Well, couldn't we say the same about the universe?" Philia said.

"Huh?" Farah looked at her with confusion.

"Well, I've been thinking about how there so many commonalities with all of our worlds are compared to this one. I mean, we all use Gald as a currency, we have similar products on each world, like Gels, and even our fighting styles are the same. For instance, every swordsman in Ad Libitum except Veigue and Luke have almost the same techniques. Cless, where did you learn your techniques?" Philia said.

"My father. He was a great swordsman who ran a school of sorts for his fighting style, so he taught me almost everything I know. Honestly though, I was surprised when I learned that there were others who knew the same techniques I did, like Lloyd," Cless said.

Philia nodded, "Right. My point is, you didn't learn those techniques yourself or anything like that. C-correct me if I'm wrong, but I think your father was the same. Tear, Luke doesn't have any of those techniques Cless has, right?"

"No. However, there was this friend of ours on our world who was a swordsman, like Luke, except he trained in a completely different fighting style. While some of the moves were different, he did share a few techniques with Cless and the others, but on Auldrant, it was called the Albert style," Tear said.

Raine looked down at the fire, "Fascinating...so you're saying that it's not just Summon Spirits, but even sword styles that share a common origin? Maybe...could the worlds once have been one?"

"Alex mentioned something about that in one of his reports after he acquired that first Descender Artifact, I believe. He said he encountered a being that told him all the worlds were once one thousands of years ago," Tear said.

"Oh, right! But if that's true, then if the common-"

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from the bank of the camp. All of the Ad Libitum members looked up in alarm, only to see a fire coming from the back of the camp. Screams suddenly burst out, and the sound of battle broke out. Ad Libitum looked to each other, then nodded as they got ready for battle. Another scream broke out from nearby, and the group looked in shock as enemies began to come out of nowhere from under the hill and attacked them. Quickly, Ad Libitum began to fight off the enemy, and the battle went underway.

* * *

Rutee stood at the hill, launching ice and water spells at the enemies that were coming towards from the bottom. Despite her best efforts, more and more just kept appearing out of nowhere, and at the rate they were arriving, it didn't seem like their numbers would thin any time soon. As one group of soldiers charged directly at Rutee, Rutee drew her sword and slashed across all of them, then jumped back just in time to avoid a lance thrown at her.

Suddenly, amidst all the death, Rutee could hear a unique pair of boots moving in the crowd. Raising her guard, her eyes shifted the crowd as she looked for the source of the noise, and then finally found it. The third Silver Knight was walking through the crowd, sword raised. Rutee began charging a spell, and then released it into the group of soldiers around the Silver Knight. Looking up, the Silver Knight dodged the attack with grace, while her comrades were killed off. She moved her head and looked at Rutee, who could practically _feel_ her glare.

"...Oh crap..."

The Silver Knight charged through the crowd, and headed directly for Rutee. Preparing her sword, Rutee swung forward at the Silver Knight at the exact same moment the Silver Knight swung at her. Their blades locked, and there was a brief struggle before the two pushed each other back. Quickly recovering, Rutee swung diagonally, only to be countered by the Silver Knight. The Silver Knight swung her blade backwards at Rutee, slashing her in the leg.

Rutee grunted, and moved back a few feet, quickly casting First Aid on her leg. Now recovered, Rutee ran back and slashed downwards at the Silver Knight. Surprised, the Silver Knight tried to block it, but Rutee swiftly slammed her arm into the Silver Knight's gauntlet. While it hurt Rutee's arm, the desired effect was achieved: the Silver Knight's arm was slightly off balance. Rutee continued the swing, and connected with the Silver Knight's left knee. The Silver Knight let out a cry of pain, and Rutee quickly struck again.

The Silver Knight was prepared this time, and swung upwards, knocking Rutee off balance. As she struggled to regain it, the Silver Knight thrust directly towards Rutee's heart. Acting quick, Rutee quickly ducked below and kicked upwards. Both blows missed their respective targets. Taking the advantage, the Silver Knight grabbed Rutee's legs and threw her up. As Rutee looked down, she saw the Silver Knight's sword positioned to impale her. Rutee swung downwards, and the two swords collided.

As Rutee bounced off the Silver Knight, she quickly used a Snipe Air on the Silver Knight, knocking her up into the air. Rutee landed, and quickly began casting. The Silver Knight landed on the ground, and as she began to dash towards Rutee, the latter had finished her spell.

"Ice Tornado!"

The Silver Knight attempted to dodge the spell, but it was futile. The ice particles shot up from around her, spun her up, and then shot her into the air. Rutee quickly began casting again, and when the Silver Knight landed, she had cast Absolute. Prepared this time, the Silver Knight ran over to the right, completely dodging the spell. Rutee grit her teeth, and tried casting once more, but was forced to stop as the Silver Knight got too close. Rutee halted her casting and swung again at the Silver Knight.

The Silver Knight parried the blow, and quickly slashed across, cutting Rutee across the arm. Rutee gasped in pain, and as she was disabled, the Silver Knight thrust for the kill. Suddenly, the Silver Knight jumped back as she saw giant fireballs flying towards her. Rutee looked surprised, and turned around to see Stahn running in.

"Rutee! Are you alright?!" Stahn shouted.

Rutee paused for a second, then gave a smile and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks!"

With that, the Silver Knight looked up at the two in silence, contemplating the situation. She glanced at both her foes as they began to charge, marking up their strengths and weaknesses. Before she could run in to strike, however, a loud voice was heard from the top of the hill.

"ALL UFTW FORCES RETREAT! LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND! WE CAN'T WIN THIS BATTLE! GET OUT OF HERE!"

The voice had come from a UFTW general named Vonous, who had come in as General Halvun's replacement. Stahn and Rutee looked at each other, and then began to run. Several soldiers began to chase them, but they were blocked by a large wall of wind that came from seemingly out of nowhere. Stahn and Rutee looked up the hill to see Garr standing there. They gave him a sign of thanks, and then joined the rest of the UFTW as they retreated from the battleground...

* * *

Anzam stood at the top of the hill, looking at all the tents that the UFTW had left behind during the battle. Hundreds of soldiers had surrounded the hill, and were running around to see what they could find in the tents. As Anzam sighed heavily, he walked down the hill into a caravan. Entering the cart, he saw Siltran resting on the ground; his head plopped against a pillow.

"Anzam, great work! You managed to drive the enemy away! But how did you know it would work?" Siltran asked.

Anzam shook his head, "To be honest, I didn't, Master Deios. There were two factors that lead me to pursue this strategy. First, the Rygon Hills, as you know, are also known as the Black Wildlands. A rare type of flower called the Neretsa blooms here every Akhana (A/N: The Pascan equivalent of April.). When it's hit by moonlight during its blossoming period, it releases spores that cause its surroundings to become dark. Unlike other gases, the spores from the Neretsa also go either up or down, therefore giving us the perfect cover under the dark spores.

"Second, I've reviewed the past battles this UFTW unit has engaged in during the war. It seems that they've rarely been surprise attacked during the war, and so I assumed they may have gone a little complacent. Therefore, with these conditions, I took a gamble and launched the surprise attack."

Siltran nodded, "I see...well, good work, Anzam. That attack should push them back for several days or so. Let's just rest for now..."

* * *

**Hey! Look, I'm really sorry for how late this chapter is, and I have no excuse this time (except for two games: Persona 4 and Umineko no Naku Koro ni.). Not to mention this is one of my least favorite chapters, as all I did was advance subplots, really.**

**However, I have good news! A new mini-arc will begin next chapter: the Prophet's Revelation arc! Many mysteries that I have posed from the very beginning of this story are going to be solved in the next two chapters, along with some new elements as well! I hope you'll come in for that!**

**And while I'm here, here's the info for the third Silver Knight.**

**Name: Silver Knight #3. Age: 31. Hair color: ??? Eye color: ???**

**Voice Actor: Megan Hollingshead. Seiyu: Satsuki Yukino.**

**Be prepared for next time, and I once again apologize for this crappy chapter!**


	43. Chapter 41: Shattered Mask

**Hi there! Final Poke Mario Fan is here, ready with the new chapter, the start of the two part Prophet Revelation Arc! Well, here we go!**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 41: Shattered Mask

* * *

...

_Who am I?_

_That's obvious. I'm Kanonno Earhart, Descender of Pas-_

_**General Belladonna, head of Master Valvus' Third Divisio-**_

_NO! That's not me anymore...that never was me! _

_**Murderer.**_

_Ah...yes, I am a murderer! Countless people have died thanks to what I did...I not only killed everyone on Pasca, but the World Tree at the same time with one fell swoop! That's never going to go away, I know it!_

_(_**You can repent for those actions while still moving on!**_)_

_Alex's words. Alex Terresca. Just what is he to me? He's my partner, my fellow Descender, my friend, my-_

_**Lech. Disgusting pile of shit. He must die for what he did to me down in the dungeons.**_

_N-No! There-there must be some good reason for it, right? Alex wouldn't do anything that terrible on his own!_

_**He deserves no forgiveness. He must drown in the sea of his sins. **_

_Just who are you?! Why are you saying all this stuff?_

_**What, you don't know? I'm **_**you.**_** I'm the you that you bottle up all those disgusting thoughts that you will never say out loud. We have nothing now. There is nothing for us to do, General Belladonna.**_

_Stop calling me that! I abandoned that name long ago! I'm not that person anymore!_

_**Liar. You damned liar. You don't really know which one you are anymore, do you? Kanonno Earhart is the weak one! A quiet, cowardly murderer, a traitor to her own people, who attempts to justify all her actions behind others. But Belladonna is the strong one. She would never let such words bother her at all. She would just ignore all that crap, move on, and deal with all her problems with strength! You've become weaker, not stronger!**_

_Wrong...I-I...you're wrong. You're..._

_**"Wrong"? Isn't that the proof that I'm the one who's right? Just listen to yourself! You argue because you have no courage to fight on your own! You've become dependent on other people to speak for you! You can't even justify your own actions with your own words, always relying on someone else to tell others that you're fighting because you're their "friend". Such kind words, right? What a load of crap! It makes you feel even worse because they think you're so sweet, so genuine in your feelings! How then, would you explain to them that shattered mask you put on for everyone!**_

_What...?_

_**You try to smile in front of everyone, wearing the mask of happiness and content when you're with everyone! But you're just lying to yourself, to others! All this time, you've been lost! You don't know who you are anymore; you've been trapped in your own identity crisis for the past four months! All that self-loathing and hatred you have is me! What reason are you even living for anymore? Wouldn't it be much easier just to die?! Well, 'Kanonno Earhart', why don't you answer for yourself!? Just who the hell are you!? **_

_I...I...Ahh...A__**G**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**__H__**H**_

* * *

* * *

"Demonic Chaos!"

Mia was currently out in the courtyard of the military base, swinging her sword at various targets set up. She had been trying to perform a running Demonic Chaos, but only two out of three of her shockwaves had hit the target. Mia looked around, then dashed forwards towards the human dummy targets, then slashed as she was running, hitting both in the side of the chest.

She ran towards another set of targets, which both standing up on platforms about four feet above the ground. Mia jumped up and slashed across, nailing both targets in a quick cleave. As she landed, she ran over to the next part of the training field, where there were three targets all at different heights. She ran to the one in the center, and jumped up to reach it. As she approached the target, she threw her sword to her right, her shield to her left, then pulled a smaller knife from her waist and slashed the target in front of her. As she connected with the target, the shield smashed into the one below her, and the sword hit the target above her. As she landed, she grabbed both her sword and shield.

Annie had walked in, curious about the noise, and stopped as she watched Mia train. Mia ran over to the third set of targets, these ones arranged in a machine that kept going up and down, causing the targets to move. Mia stood there as the targets sunk, carefully watching the machine. Finally, when the machine moved up into the air, Mia used Omega Tempest, flying over and up, hitting most of the targets. When three targets were knocked off balance and fell towards the ground, Mia used Hell Pyre, striking all three targets. She landed, and stood for a while, panting.

"Wow, I'm impressed, Mia!" Annie said, smiling.

Mia managed to nod while panting, "Th...Thank you, A...Annie."

"Seriously, you have a lot a skill with this. How many years have you been training for?" Annie asked.

Mia sat down, and then scratched her head, "Well, I actually don't know how long you could say that I've been seriously training, but if you count the beginning...since I was eight, maybe?"

Annie gasped in shock, "WHAT!? So you're saying that you've been training since you were a child?"

"Correct. My father was a soldier, and he insisted that I at least learn how to protect myself. At first I hated having to have sword lessons every day, but as time went on I grew to love those training sessions I had. I guess part of the reason for that was because I admired my father so much," Mia said. Though her voice was calm, her eyes held a wistful look in them.

"Is that why you became a soldier?" Annie asked.

Mia nodded, "Yes. I loved my father, and in my mind, he was the paragon of what a true soldier should be like. I looked up to him as a source of inspiration, and when I grew older, I trained more and more so that I could become a soldier like he was. I wanted to make him proud of me as well- proud that I too could become a soldier that could defend Terresia from any danger. And so, when I turned 18, I convinced him to let me become a soldier."

Annie smiled, "Wanting to follow in your father's footsteps...I can totally understand what you're feeling. Wait a minute; you say you 'loved' your father. Did something happen between you two?"

"...No, it wasn't that something like that. My father died recently in battle," Mia said.

Annie looked down sadly, "O-Oh...I'm so sorry, Mia. I didn't know."

Mia shook her head, "Don't be, you had no way of knowing. It's fine; I've resigned myself to the fact that he's dead and is never coming back. Besides, now that my father is dead, I'll have to fight twice as hard to make sure that I don't disappoint him when I die as well. The only way I can make any progress is by training and training."

"I see..." Annie said, discomfort evident in her gaze. She cleared her throat, and tried to change the topic, "Are Alex and Kanonno doing any better?"

"No. They seem quite content to lie around all day," Mia said, frowning.

"That's a rather harsh way of putting it, Mia..."

Mia shook her head, "My apologies, I'm just frustrated with the current situation. It's been three weeks and they've made absolutely no progress in recovering from what happened to them. They won't even let anyone besides me get near them, so there's no way to communicate them. I wouldn't even know what to say to them. I just...wish they would get better quickly."

An awkward silence broke out between the two women, not sure what to say next. However, a thought crossed Annie's mind.

_There's no way she's a simple recon soldier..._

* * *

The defeated UFTW forces had made it to Saecon, a coastal town located about a night's march from the Rygon Hills. They stood in the military base, just sitting around blankly in the strategy room.

"Well, what do we do now?" Luke said.

"Isn't it obvious!? We go right back up there with more soldiers and beat the ever loving crap out of those bastards!" Lloyd shouted.

"Are you kidding? After what happened last time? Doing something like that would be suicide!" Senel said. After his battle with Siltran, he was on crutches, not for his leg, but because his body was still too injured to battle.

"Not to mention that the Pascans currently hold the high ground that we once did, yet they were able to surprise attack us off it. Just charging in with greater numbers isn't going to get anything done," Veigue added, nodding to himself.

"Well then, what if we try going around them? I mean, they're only on a small hill, so we should be able to avoid fighting them, right?" Reid said.

"No, that won't work either. If you remember, that hill is a very good lookout point-you can see practically everything around you for miles and miles. If we try going around them, they'll still spot us, hunt us down, and eventually pincer attack us by calling in reinforcements from the south," Tear said.

"...Well then, what if we were to bomb the hill with spells? If we concentrated all our mages and attacked the hill, we might be force them off the hill. It might be even better if we could combine that with an archer attack. What about that? Will that work?" Nanaly suggested.

"It's a decent plan, but unfortunately, we do not have enough forces to perform an operation that big. We only have a unit of about 700 soldiers with us, and less than a thousand reinforcements. In addition, most of these soldiers are infantry and cavalry. There are simply not enough mages and archers to use for an operation," Garr said.

"Is there any way we could get cannons here to assault the hill?" Luke said.

"No, it's impossible. While we do have some more powerful cannons on ships from Auldrant, that's the thing-cannons in Pasca are very rarely used on land, since they're mostly stationary weapons put on castles, ships, or forts. In short, we don't have any cannons we could move around with us," Jade said

"Damn it, there's got to be something we can do! At this rate, we'll never come up with a plan to retake the hill! What if we did something like using a catapult to launch something burning on the hill?" Stahn said.

Suddenly, everyone turned to Stahn in surprise. After a few seconds, Genis finally spoke, "What's than mean, Stahn?"

"Well, don't we have something very flammable in barrels, like oil? The Green Blades have that underground tunnel system to transport their goods all around Pasca, so we could ask them to lend us a few small barrels or a catapult, then we go to the hills, fire the oil barrels, and then set them on fire with flame artes. There's a lot of grass on the hill, so it should burn well enough. Also, we could leave some oil barrels alone so that they break on the hill and leak, which would spread the fire even more. While they're distracted by the fire, we could charge them, or wait for them to run down, and then attack, right?"

A moment of silence fell.

"Stahn, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...you're brilliant!" Rutee said.

Stahn blushed, scratching his head, "Huh, really? I was just randomly saying what came to my head."

Jay cleared his throat, "Random or not, the plan could actually work. The Green Blades does have access to small oil barrels, and we have a tunnel running from here to Todek, where the Green Blades have a big influence on the inside. They'll be able to lend us something."

Jade nodded, "Alright, that settles it. We'll use this strategy! Everyone, prepare to move out again in a few days!"

* * *

Nomvar and Senza were lying in Nomvar's bedroom in Fort Cios. Nomvar sat against the edge of the bed, wearing only his pants, while Senza looked at him from under the covers. Both of them were deep in thought.

"We're going to need some more supplies soon, aren't we?" Senza asked.

Nomvar nodded, "Yeah. We're running a bit short, and while our rebellion is thriving in Scollance, I've received reports that we're dying out in Lavard. More and more of our men are being discovered in those cities and are being captured and executed privately. They must know a lot about us by now."

"Mmm...I suppose that's true. With the news about you being the leader of the Green Blades, there will be less people who will claim to know you. Sadly, they probably don't have anyone to go to in Lavard, so they'll either have to leave the Green Blades or try and flee to Scollance," Senza said, shifting up in the bed.

An idea flashed by Nomvar's eyes, but it quickly faded, "Say, Senza...I'm sorry to ask this, but you don't happen to have any connections left to House Alueman, do-"

"No. None. You know that, Nomvar. I thought we agreed not to talk about that ever again, right?" Senza said in a snappy tone.

"You're right. But isn't there at least a single person there who sympathizes with you? Someone who might be willing to help shelter the Green Blades in Lavard?"

After a pause, Senza sighed, "I turned them all away. After my br-after _Andar_ disowned me, when I was taking the little he allowed me to take, some of the younger servants came up to me and told me if there was anything I ever needed, I should ask them. I told them not to help me, because I was afraid of what Andar might do to them as punishment. Plus, many of the older servants seem to share my mother's opinion of me."

"Oh, right, you didn't get along with your mother, right?"

Senza scoffed, "It's more like she didn't get along with me. She hated me from my birth to her death. I tried to love her, but when it was clear that she would hate me no matter what, I decided to return the favor. Most of the older servants acted hateful to me because they didn't want to be scolded by her, and now it seems they just hate me on instinct as a result."

"Oh. I'm sorry to have brought that back up. I know how hard it was for you to-"

"Don't say another word. You know I gave up everything for you willingly and happily. I'd rather live the life of a poor rebel with you than be rich and be forced to live without without you. If I hadn't met you, then my eyes would never have been opened to reality. I would have been trapped in that dull mansion, forced to be watched under my brother's eyes. Just...just know that I love you more than anything else, alright?" Senza said with a smile.

Nomvar smiled, "Ah, you always get me with that one."

The two of them kissed, falling back on the bed once more...

* * *

Several days later, the UFTW stood at the base of the hill, a bit of a ways back. The Pascans had noticed them, but aside from an occasional arrow fired by an impatient soldier, nothing happened. The members of Ad Libitum watched them while others were making battle preparations.

"But still, I can't believe Stahn out of all people was the one who came up with this plan! He doesn't strike me as being very smart," Lloyd said.

"You're one to talk," Genis retorted.

"Shut up, Genis!" Lloyd yelled.

"I'm just saying, don't look down on Stahn when you're not much better!" Genis said.

"Genis...you li-"

"Alright, _both _of you shut up! Got it!" Raine shouted. Lloyd and Genis looked each other, and gulped, having heard that tone many times before.

"Y-yes...Professor," Lloyd nervously said.

"Good."

As they spoke, Kratos and Jade overlooked the catapults they had been given by the Green Blades, "This plan is rather unusual, wouldn't you say?"

Jade shook his head, "Well, it's not as if I've seen any crazier stunts being pulled during my career. There was a time where I myself would have considered such strange actions. Ah, listen to me. I'm sounding like an old man."

"An old man at 35...can't imagine a single person talking like that. Enough of that, let's get back to business. We have about 25 oil barrels, so we should set fire to 18 of them. We'll let the other 7 crash first and leak, and then we'll launch the flaming barrels. When the hill's on fire, we wait for the enemy to retreat. If they try to put out the fires instead, we'll charge them. Either way, the enemy will be weakened and not in the right state to battle properly, so we should be able to win," Kratos said.

"And what of the enemy commander? General Deios is with them, so we should try to take him out."

"I can see the enemy as plain as day, but I don't see General Deios in there. Perhaps he's in his tent, or he could have even died. Senel told us he collapsed in a coughing fit, so he may have caught something that killed him. However, I'm more willing to believe he's alive."

"Well, we should try to settle for second best, then. There's that soldier Leon fought in the last battle who called General Deios 'Master Deios'. He must have a very close connection to General Deios to call him that, so perhaps we should try to kill him. However, I acknowledge that finding him amongst the retreating soldiers will be difficult."

"Yes, you're right. I can see him standing near the center of the camp, but we should only attempt to kill him if we spot him in a bad position. For most of the battle, we should just focus on driving them out and thinning their numbers as much as possible. Leave him as an afterthought."

"Of course. It seems that the preparations are finished now, shall we begin?"

"Right. Begin the operation!"

* * *

Anzam stood on the hill, watching the UFTW from afar with a frown. He crossed his arms, touching his hatchets nervously.

_Just what are they up to?_

One of the soldiers came running up to him, "Sir! I have a report on the UFTW! They seem to be loading up their catapults with something right now!"

"Is it boulders?" Anzam asked.

The soldier shook his head, "No, sir! It's way too small for that! All we know is that whatever it is, they don't seem to have a very big supply of it. However, we have noticed that they've concentrated their mages around the catapults."

"Maybe they're planning on using magic to enhance whatever it is they plan to launch. Either way, be on high alert, and be prepared to battle! We won't let them take this hill, no matter what!" Anzam said.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted, then ran back to face his allies.

_Launching small objects with their catapults, placing mages around it...something's wrong here._ Anzam turned into the tent he was standing in front of, where Siltran lay down on the floor while the third Silver Knight watched him.

"Anzam, what's happening outside?" Siltran asked.

Anzam shook his head, "I'm not completely sure. However, I'm getting a little worried about what the enemy has planned. If the battle gets out of hand, I might not be able to guarantee your safety, Master. That's why I want you to tell her that if things get bad, she should take you and retreat."

Siltran frowned, "Is it that bad?"

"I don't want to take any chances, Master. You're the one who gave me the means which to survive, gave me more meaning. You say you're going to die soon, but I won't let it be now. I want you to live to see the end of this war, see us triumph in the end. It is for that reason that I want you to escape. You mean a lot to me, Master," Anzam said.

Siltran looked surprised at Anzam's words, then smiled, "If I am being granted this much gratitude, perhaps I should have sought out an apprentice earlier. Alright, I understand. I'll tell her."

With that, Siltran turned to the Silver Knight, and said a few words to her. Her body stiffened, and after a few seconds, said a few more words to him, and he nodded. With that, Anzam walked outside.

The second he went out, he saw something high in the sky falling down towards the camp. He quickly looked at the battlefield, and saw the catapults were launching. He quickly drew his main axe, and looked at the falling object. It landed several yards to his right, and he saw the object break, spreading whatever was inside it all over the area. Looking up, Anzam saw six more objects crashing all over the camp, spreading their cargo around the camp.

_Just what was that?_

Seeing nothing had happened, Anzam curiously walked towards the object that had crashed near him, making sure to keep his distance. He noticed pieces of wood were scattered around, having broken from the impact. What caught his eye even more was the substance that had spread out: a thin, black liquid, which had a strong stench.

_This stench...this color...this is..._oil_!?_

"EVERYONE! STAY AWAY FROM THE OBJECTS! THEY'RE...!"

But Anzam couldn't finish his sentence. He saw similar objects flying in the air, but unlike the first ones, they were very bright. They crashed down on the camp, one of them landing right where one of the initial barrels had landed.

The results were catastrophic. A massive fire suddenly broke out, catching the grass, the flowers, the tents, and worse, the oil in its blaze. Screams broke out in the camp as seconds later; the once calm hill had become an inferno, engulfing everything in its path, leaving death behind.

Anzam cursed, "RETREAT! RETREAT! GET OFF OF THE HILL! TRY TO RUN DOWN THE BACK SIDE OF THE HILL!"

* * *

The UFTW watched this scene in utter awe, stunned by the power of the fire. Already the second cavalry unit had charged directly ahead towards the base of the hill, where Pascan soldiers were beginning to run for their lives, some of them rolling around on fire, trying to put the flames out.

Kratos nodded to himself, "The plan worked after all. Alright, FIRST AND THIRD INFANTRY UNITS! BACK UP THE CAVALRY UNIT AND PURSUE THE ENEMY! GO!"

* * *

Anzam ran across the battlefield, slashing at UFTW soldiers in his way. After having ensured the Silver Knight had taken Siltran to safety, he had evacuated down the hill, only to see the UFTW in pursuit. Wielding his main axe, he blocked a UFTW soldier's sword, pushed it upwards, then swung across his chest, leaving the soldier screaming and bleeding to death. Having made it to the base of the hill, Anzam took a deep breath.

_Well, I'm in a better position now. We'll flee to Phesta, then..._

Anzam's train of thought was interrupted when he saw something thin flying right towards him. Instinctively, he ducked, and the object missed. However, it strangely went flying back in his direction, heading towards a person on the battlefield, who caught the object. Surprised, Anzam ran up to the soldier, and gave an incredulous look to them.

Colette stood nervously in front of him, her chakrams out. She stood him down, noticing his axes, "A man with several axes-Leon told us about you!"

"Hm? What are you doing on the battlefield, girl? It doesn't look like you could hurt a dog, let alone a fly!" Anzam said dismissively.

_They send girls as young and weak looking as this to the battlefield? Ad Libitum must be desperate._

"Maybe you're right. However, you and everyone around here are trying to hurt my friends. I swear on my life that while I'm here, I won't let you hurt a single one of them!" Colette shouted, her voice filled with uncanny determination.

Anzam was taken slightly aback for a second, and then shook his head, "So then what can you say about your white haired friend that fought Master Deios last time? Did you 'protect' him?"

Colette winced, and for a moment her gaze faltered. However, she regained some strength a second later, "I'll warn you once. Turn back now and I won't have to fight you. Neither of us will get hurt. Please, if you have any sense, then-"

"Just shut up! You 'won't have to fight me'? 'Neither of us will get hurt'? Don't give me that crap! If people were as naive and simple minded as that, then there'd be no war right now! You talk so big when _you're_ the ones ruining our peace! Why don't you listen to your own advice for a change and get out of our world! _Then _there will be no need to fight!" Anzam screamed.

"...I'm sorry about this, but it seems there's no choice left," Colette said, her voice filled with resignation. She raised her chakrams, and threw both of them towards Anzam. Anzam jumped to the side, relieved, then his eyes widened as he saw a red hammer flying straight towards him. Surprised, Anzam swung his main axe up high, and slammed it against the hammer, knocking it to the ground.

Anzam ran ahead to Colette, still retrieving her chakrams, and swung the axe at her. She quickly backstepped, and once again threw her chakrams. Anzam quickly smashed one of them back towards Colette, while the second one missed and flew back towards Colette. As she caught it in her hand, Anzam had gotten close to her, and swung his axe down with all his might.

"Ray Whirlwind!" Anzam gasped as Colette suddenly spun with her chakrams, smashing against Anzam's axe and knocking him backwards. As Anzam struggled to regain his balance, Colette followed up with a Triple Ray Thrust, throwing both her chakrams across Anzam's chest. He cried out in pain as he felt the three way attack, then regained his balance. The chakrams returned once more to Colette, who threw them once more when she caught them.

_Hmph. So she's better than I gave her credit for. Very well, I will acknowledge her as an opponent._

Anzam switched his main axe for his twin hatchets, and ran once again towards Colette, moving faster than he was before. He jumped to the right to avoid the chakrams, and then took the moment to run towards Colette, making it right before her chakrams. He swung against her, and although she jumped back, Anzam managed to nick her left arm, causing her to cry out in pain. Colette grabbed both chakrams and prepared herself. As Anzam lunged again, he swung...

"Pow Pow Hammer!" Three of the hammers Anzam had seen earlier suddenly came out of nowhere and crashed right into him. Oddly enough, Anzam didn't feel any pain from the hammers, just dizziness. As he tried to snap out of it, Colette threw her chakrams at Anzam and used Grand Chariot. As Anzam was knocked slightly backwards by the first chakram, he cried out in pain when a lightning bolt came crashing down on him. He regained his balance, and then took out an Apple Gel, but before he could take it, he saw the chakrams coming back towards him. Anzam cursed and jumped, avoiding the attack.

"Piercing Crash!" Anzam took the blunt end of his first hatchet, then jumped forward and slammed it into Colette's gut, causing her to freeze. Anzam then raised his second hatchet, and swung upwards, slashing Colette up into the air. Colette let out a scream of pain, and crashed back to the ground. Anzam smirked, then took his hatchets and swung down at her. Colette quickly grabbed one of her chakrams, and threw it at Anzam's leg.

Anzam stopped as he felt himself fall over from the impact of the chakram. As he regained his balance, Colette quickly grabbed her other chakram and rose from the ground. Grunting, Anzam switched his hatchets for his Trekan throwing axes, making sure he had his gloves on. He threw them towards Colette, who jumped away from them. Remembering Leon's words, she turned around to see them coming right back for her. She tried jumping to the right, but the throwing axes only followed her in that direction, and slashed her arms. Colette cried out, and the axes flew by past her, only to turn around and head for her again.

Colette managed to dodge both axes, and then threw her chakrams at them. They the axes with equal force, causing them to move off course. Anzam's arms twisted slightly from this move, and he grunted in response. Noticing his reaction, an idea suddenly popped into Colette's head. As Anzam regained control of the axes, he launched them at Colette again. Colette threw her chakrams again, hitting the axes back. Anzam kept trying again and again, but every time he sent the axes towards her, she would block them by throwing her chakrams at them. Anzam's eyes widened and he began to panic.

Colette saw Anzam was distressed, and quickly reacted. Instead of countering the axes again, she used Grand Chariot, throwing her chakrams directly at Anzam's gloves. The first hit caused Anzam to thrust his hands in the air as a reaction to the pain, and a second later, the lightning bolt from Grand Chariot came crashing down. The Trekan in Anzam's gloves conducted the lightning bolt, and Anzam screamed in pain as the electricity coarsed through his body, electrocuting him.

Colette then quickly ran up to Anzam, and threw her chakrams at Anzam. With his full body exposed, Colette kept throwing the chakrams at Anzam over and over again. After a few seconds, Anzam screamed in pain, and collapsed to the ground. When she saw this, Colette stopped, and simply stood over Anzam, a sad look on her face.

"Wh-what's wrong...Aren't you going to kill me now?" Anzam said, his voice hoarse.

Colette paused, and shook her head, "No, that wouldn't accomplish anything. If I kill you someone's going to want to avenge you, right? Everyone has someone like that. When that happens, the cycle of hatred that causes war will only continue, leaving this war to go on until there's no one left to hate anymore...until both sides are dead. By sparing you, I can end that cycle."

"...So naive...do you think everyone else believes that? Your actions won't make a difference...the number of casualties in a war is simply too high. What will sparing one life have an impact on the rest of the war? I could come back...and kill your friends, you know. There's someone you guys know who I want to kill so bad...by killing me, you'll prevent that," Anzam said, cynical.

"Even if it's just one person, they can still hold so much value. It's true that if I let you go, you might actually come and fight us again. But I'd rather spare you, to let you know that there's still hope of finding a solution to end this war that isn't violence. Even if I'm the only person who happens to believe this, maybe everyone will come to believe it someday. When that happens...maybe the people of Terresia and Pasca can learn to walk together hand in hand. Right?" Colette said.

Anzam frowned, "...You know nothing. You're living in a delusionary world."

Just then, a bunch of soldiers came rushing over. Colette quickly ran away, and while a few followed her, most of them ran to Anzam.

"Lieutenant Saitona, are you alright?" One soldier asked.

Anzam paused, then nodded, "I'll be fine...I just need a healer. Let's get out of here."

Another soldier ran up to him, "Lieutenant Saitona, I've recovered your throwing axes."

"...Thank you. Let's go."

As Anzam was carried away by his men from the battlefield, his thoughts turned to the battle he just had.

_Damn it! Damn it! Why...why did I lose against someone as naive her! She's doesn't enjoy fighting, and can't bring herself to kill me! Why couldn't I beat someone like-?_

_"Even if you won't say your name, I can tell that from our battle that while you've barely fought a real battle, you've been trained extensively."_

_Those were...that man from Ad Libitum's words from last time. Is...Is that right? Is it that...I'm too overconfident? Was I underestimating her? That's right...she never said she'd kill me. Just that she'd protect her friends. Then...is it that because I've been trained by Master Deios, I never encountered a real enemy, and was cocky because I thought that I was powerful because of my training?_

That must be right...this whole time, I've been fooling myself! I should have known never to toy with an enemy! Had I had any sense back there, I would have fled immediately or looked for help! That settles it...I need to experience the real battlefield much more!

* * *

In the mysterious realm, Prophet remained chained to the crystal tablet. However, this time, the chains were almost gone, and were in fact flickering away as time went on. Prophet began to flex his legs impatiently, wanting to get out.

_**Oh please, what's the rush anyway? They're not going anywhere.**_

_They're at their breaking point! If we don't go now, then they could be lost forever! We have to get this done now!_

Just then, there was a loud cracking noise from the tablet. Seconds later, the chains completely disappeared, and the tablet shattered, falling onto the ground, disappearing seconds later.

_Here I go!_

Prophet stood in the space. Unlike all the other times, where he would transfer from his realm to the living world, he decided to drag them into his realm. He looked through to the living world, and searched for Alex and Kanonno's consciousness. Upon finding them, he used his ability to travel between worlds, and instead used it to drag their consciousness through to this world. As he grasped their minds, he pulled them out of their bodies, and dragged them through to the portal to his realm...

* * *

Alex and Kanonno stood in a space of emptiness together, looking broken. Their dead eyes looked straight ahead, confused.

_Is this death?_

"We meet again after so long, you two," A voice rang out.

Alex and Kanonno both gasped as they heard the voice, recognizing it immediately, "Prophet..."

As if on cue, Prophet appeared in the middle of the black space, standing in front of them, "It's been a while, you two. It seems as if though you're in need of help right now. We can see that your minds have practically been lost after your torture at the hands of Tribilin, so we have come to save you."

"...Bullshit."

"Huh?"

Alex exploded, "You are so full of bullshit, Prophet! Who are you, going around telling us to get better immediately just because it's been a while! You betrayed us! First, you gave me false information at Henos, and then you just up and disappear for a few months! What kind of right do you have to order us around!?"

"Alex, we..."

"Do you have any idea what I-what _we _went through?! I have never been through anything so horrifying in my life! Every day was hell, lying in the cell, nothing to greet me but the guards' face, being tortured for hours on end, and no signs of rescue! I should have died back there! It would have been much better than the agony I'm living through right now!

"And while I'm at it, let me ask you something. Where the hell were you when we were trapped?! You helped Genis and the others while they were imprisoned, so why couldn't you do the same then!? Didn't you once say your purpose was to make sure we didn't die!? Then why don't you speak for yourself, Prophet! Give me one good reason why I should listen to you! If you have any sense of decency left, then do me a favor and kill me right here and now!"

Prophet froze for a few seconds, giving Kanonno a chance to speak, "Prophet, please, just do _something_. I...I don't know what to think anymore. I have no idea why I'm here, who or what I'm fighting for, what my purpose is, just who I am. I feel so empty...like everything that I was was taken away in that dungeon. If this is the price I must pay to keep living, I'm not sure I want to."

Prophet was silent, deep in thought, "...Without you, the whole universe is lost."

"Screw the universe. They can all go to hell for what I care. What do they know about our suffering? We're the ones who ultimately must sacrifice ourselves for the sake of their worlds. Well then, maybe it's time they learned a lesson about doing things themselves. If there's no reward for us out of this, then there's no reason for us to keep doing this at all. I'm finished," Alex said.

Prophet finally looked up, "We see. If you're going to throw a tantrum like always, then we suppose there's no choice left but to tell you the truth."

"The truth? What are you talking about?" Kanonno asked.

"We mean the entire truth of this universe, of this dimension. Your purpose for existing. The true reason why the two of you are fighting, and just why it's so important that you keep on fighting, for you to get back on your feet," Prophet said.

"And just why is this truth so important that you think we'll just get up and go back to fight?" Alex said.

"The truth is vitally important to the future of the entire world...no, the universe. The truth is valuable, yet we can see with your current attitude and standpoint, you will reject the truth as it is. Therefore...we shall take a drastic measure to ensure that your standpoint reflects the one that is needed in order for you to grasp and accept the truth that remains,"

"A drastic measure? Like what?"

Prophet paused for a while, head lowered, "...First off, why don't we reveal the truth about _us_...what we really are. We'll take you to the source of the truth right now, but first, we shall show you what we've been concealing from you ever since the day we met...or rather, the day we reunited. Before this, we must tell you that when you see this truth, do not jump to conclusions and listen to our words."

Prophet looked up and stared Alex down dead in the eye. Even though the mask was on, Alex could feel a chill down his spine from Prophet's stare. After what seemed to be an eternity, Prophet raised his arms. With one hand, he grabbed the top of his hood, and with the other, he grasped his mask. In one swift moment, he pushed off the hood, and in the next, he removed the mask, lowering it with his hand.

Alex and Kanonno's dull eyes suddenly sparked for the first time in two months, widening at the sight before them. Their mouths agape, both of them tried to say something, but neither could find the words for it. The only sound that emerged from their mouths was their shaky breaths, filled with raw shock.

_"Let's just say we know a lot about you, Terresian Descender. And we mean a _lot_."_

**Of course.**

"Im...impossible..." Alex finally spurted out.

_"That is correct. We are indeed ghosts. Both of us were murdered through different ways, and after our deaths, our souls united, due to the fact that we were both the same in a certain way...We have...a special trait in both of us that is important, so we were also united because of this trait."_

_"I am...unsure of this...five months ago, both tablets were active. Five months ago, however, one of the tablets disappeared, and the next month, the other one disappeared. However, about three months ago, half of each tablet reappeared here."_

**Why didn't I realize it earlier?**

"You...you..." Kanonno gasped, unable to finish her sentence.

_"...A friend and an enemy. In two different senses, we guess."_

**Why was I blind to the obvious truth?**

In front of their eyes was the face of a familiar looking man. His skin was light with a slightly gray tinge to it. He had long, white hair that reached to the end of his neck. His eyes were rather unique, for his left pupil was a blood red color, while his right was a light blue. His lips were in a stoic position, and he merely glanced at the two in front of him silently.

**Yes. There's no mistaking it. Prophet, you are...**

"...Widdershin...and Mormo...?"

* * *

**To be continued in the next chapter: Prophet's Truth.**

* * *

**How was it? Finally, the plot twist I've held back for two-and-a-half years is revealed! However, some of you seemed to have figured it out a while ago, to which I say "Congratulations!" However, that is only the first of many reveals, for the next chapter is practically all about that! **

**Regarding other parts of this chapter, I decided, when I started this story, that I would give Colette at least one battle where she gets to shine. After all, who would have expected **_**Colette**_** of all people putting up a good fight against one of the supporting villains? That was what I thought, along with the idea that Colette's battle style would be the best counterattack to Anzam's.**

**The strategy I used for the battle was a bit difficult for me to come up. I had planned for the UFTW to retake the hill all along, but this time, I knew that the whole "dark spores" thing wouldn't work either. So it took me a while to brainstorm, "just what kind of plan could get the Pascans off that hill, but without rushing up and killing themselves?" For while there are many ways to take a hill, running up to it has been proven historically to be a very bad idea (The Battle of Bunker Hill and Pickett's Charge flew into my mind.). So yeah, the burning oil was a bit out of there, but I thought it would work.**

**If you're wondering why the Pascans have oil when their level of civilization is only in the late Middle Ages, the answer is the Trabadian Desert: the Pascans not only mine metals there, but they also discovered oil deep underground. They don't understand it fully yet, but they do know that it's very flammable, so they mostly use it in small doses, usually in factories to speed up production. They especially use it in Vascallus, which is one of the biggest industrial cities in Pasca.**

**Well, that's it. I'm looking forward to writing Part 2!**


	44. Chapter 42: The Word of God

**Hi! Final Poke Mario Fan, reporting with the next chapter! Here we go!**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 42: The Word of God

_Last chapter..._

_Prophet looked up and stared Alex down dead in the eye. Even though the mask was on, Alex could feel a chill down his spine from Prophet's stare. After what seemed to be an eternity, Prophet raised his arms. With one hand, he grabbed the top of his hood, and with the other, he grasped his mask. In one swift moment, he pushed off the hood, and in the next, he removed the mask, lowering it with his hand._

_Alex and Kanonno's dull eyes suddenly sparked for the first time in two months, widening at the sight before them. Their mouths agape, both of them tried to say something, but neither could find the words for it. The only sound that emerged from their mouths was their shaky breaths, filled with raw shock._

"Let's just say we know a lot about you, Terresian Descender. And we mean a lot."

**Of course.**

_"Im...impossible..." Alex finally spurted out._

"That is correct. We are indeed ghosts. Both of us were murdered through different ways, and after our deaths, our souls united, due to the fact that we were both the same in a certain way...We have...a special trait in both of us that is important, so we were also united because of this trait."

"I am...unsure of this...five months ago, both tablets were active. Five months ago, however, one of the tablets disappeared, and the next month, the other one disappeared. However, about three months ago, half of each tablet reappeared here."

**Why didn't I realize it earlier?**

_"You...you..." Kanonno gasped, unable to finish her sentence._

"...A friend and an enemy. In two different senses, we guess."

**Why was I blind to the obvious truth?**

_In front of their eyes was the face of a familiar looking man. His skin was light with a slightly gray tinge to it. He had long, white hair that reached to the end of his neck. His eyes were rather unique, for his left pupil was a blood red color, while his right was a light blue. His lips were in a stoic position, and he merely glanced at the two in front of him silently._

**Yes. There's no mistaking it. Prophet, you are...**

_"...Widdershin...and Mormo...?"_

* * *

(**Author's note: Despite the recent revelation of Prophet's identity, I will still use the name Prophet for the character. There will be times where sometimes Mormo or Widdershin speak independently, where in that case I will use their own names to refer to them.)**

**(A/N 2: This is a VERY exposition-heavy chapter, but it's important. Just a warning for those of you who don't like those kinds of chapters.)**

Alex, Kanonno, and Prophet all stood there in the middle of the dark realm, many different thoughts running through their heads. None of them could speak a word, not being sure of what to say. Prophet, having anticipated this, merely waited patiently with a blank face, preparing himself. After what appeared to be an eternity, Alex finally broke the silence.

"H...How...How is this possible?" Alex said.

"We'll get into the full reason in a short while. However, here is the short version. Whenever a Descender dies- and by die, we mean actually killed, not merely absorbed back into their World Trees- they go to a place called The Origin of Existence, also known as the Akashic Record. The Akashic Record is the place where all souls go when they died. However, the full story behind that is a bit complicated, so we'll let another speak of it. For killed Descenders, their souls remain there for all eternity, unable to be reused by their worlds, and they take their bodies with them.

"When you killed Widdershin, Alex, his soul went to the Akashic Record. The month after that- or rather, two years in Pascan time, Mormo was also killed, and he too went to the Akashic Record. After that, our souls were combined, and we were granted a new form. Traits of our personalities, along with instructions given to us, were merged together to create a third personality, which was called, 'Prophet'."

Kanonno moved forward slightly, frowning, "So...what you're saying is that you two went to this Akashic Record, and then were suddenly combined into one soul? You're leaving out part of the story, Prophet. How did you merge into one soul?"

"We're not hiding it from you, it's just that there's someone else who can explain much better than we can. After all..."

Alex finally exploded, "Enough of this bullshit! How do I know you're telling me the truth! Just how do I know that you're really Mormo and Widdershin? Just because your face looks similar to them doesn't mean that you really are them! You could be an imposter for all I know! Hell, how do I know any of this is real and isn't just some delusion in my mind! How do I..."

"_**Just shut up, Terresian Descender**_."

Alex froze at those words, his whole mind blanking at the voice he just heard. At that moment, his thoughts that this was all a dream all ceased instantly. He turned back to Prophet, recognizing the voice.

_That...that wasn't Prophet's voice just now...that was...!_

Prophet's face had changed slightly. His right eye, which was formerly blue, now had changed to match the red one on his left side. His formerly stoic lips were now curled into a very familiar sneer both Descenders had seen many times before. Alex and Kanonno both grew angry at the voice.

"So...it really is you...Widdershin..." Kanonno said. Her voice was filled with barely concealed rage, and Alex had never seen her look any angrier than she had before in her entire life.

_Why is she so...Oh, that's right! She never did see Widdershin after she regained her memories for the first time back in our days in Terresia. This is the first time since then the two have met ever since Kanonno realized she had been deceived. No wonder she's so angry..._

"_**Ah, Kanonno, my dear friend, how long has it been? How does it feel to see that the world you worked so hard to save has turned out to be no better than it was before? The same way it was after you had destroyed it?**_" Widdershin said, in a tone that Alex now sickeningly identified with Tribilin, except with less sadism. While Prophet had always spoken in two voices, now only his deep voice spoke, which Alex immediately realized was Widdershin's voice.

_I see...I didn't recognize Widdershin's voice because it didn't have that tone to it, and Mormo's voice was mixed in with Widdershin's voice, so I couldn't make out either voice. So that's why I wasn't able to recognize them by their voices!_

Kanonno curled her fists up in anger, "Widdershin, you bastard! You tricked me! You tricked me ever since the first day we met into destroying all those worlds for you, all into giving me false hope that Pasca could be revived!"

Widdershin merely shrugged, "_**So I did. What of it?**_"

"What of it..._WHAT OF IT!_ Do you seriously think those words can excuse everything you did, Widdershin!"

"_**And you think that your actions now can excuse what **_**you**_** did, Kanonno?**_" Widdershin countered.

Kanonno paused, and her mouth gaped in shock. A few seconds later, Kanonno lowered her head in shame. Angry at this display, Alex was about to speak up, until Kanonno raised her head sadly.

"You're right...I know that. I know that what I did is unforgivable. No matter what I do, my sin will never go away. I realized that a very long time ago. But even so, I...I want to repent, but...but nothing will change.

"However...that does not mean I can just forgive you and ignore what you did! Even if I really was the one to destroy Pasca, you still deceived me and made me kill countless others! I knew it was wrong...I knew that! But I thought that if I could bring Pasca back, I could apologize to everyone! I thought I could-"

"_**Spare me the dramatic speech. Just get to the point.**_"

"My point is that you're the one who's to blame for all of this in the end! Your death and the end of your plan was completely your fault for recruiting me! If you hadn't, I would never have gone to Terresia and met Alex! I wouldn't have lost my memories, become friends with Ad Libitum, or have turned over to them! It's because of Alex and everyone there that I became who I am now! If I weren't there, there would have been no one to slow Gilgulim down long enough for Alex to kill you and stop Gilgulim! Don't be so arrogant when your very own actions lead to your own death!"

"_**Hmph. Whatever, it's too late to consider that any more, right? In the end, at least you acknowledge the fact that you won't live a normal life. You have the desire for one, but you understand that it's nothing but an empty dream. Unlike that pathetic, disgusting excuse for a Descender over there, you at least have the maturity to accept your fate,**_" Widdershin said, turning to Alex.

Alex felt anger rise in him, "And just what the hell is that supposed to mean, Widdershin!"

"_**Oh please. You're so immature about this situation. Always whining about how 'it's not fair' that you have to die because you're a Descender. That's right, Terresian Descender, it's not fair! Can you do anything about it? No, of course you can't! So if you have a brain in that head of yours, accept the fact that you're going to die, and that's just fate! We'll never have normal lives! That's why we're Descenders! That's why we're a completely different race from everyone around us! We're nothing more than weapons!**_"

Alex stood there in silence, mentally contemplating Widdershin's words, "...I know that. I know that we're weapons! What's wrong with me wanting to find a way to live like a normal human!"

"_**Because it's impossible! I know that as a fact! There is no way for a Descender to escape their fate! That's right; did you get to live normally after you killed me? You didn't, did you? You were just absorbed up by your World Trees! If the Guardian of Descenders felt like giving you a normal life, it would have given you one! That's right, you were thrown away! Discarded! You were nothing more than a useless tool at that point! Why didn't you learn your lesson then! It pisses me off...it pisses me off that you killed me, yet you're such a crybaby! How did I lose to someone as pathetic as you!**_"

"W-well..."

"_**It's obvious, isn't it! Back then, you had none of these worries! Did you ever once think about becoming a human when you were fighting me? You didn't, did you? That's right; you've become much weaker now! This breakdown of yours isn't the first time it's happened, remember! Remember all the times in the past where I and Mormo had to keep talking you down whenever you kept whining? It's happened several times! Did you ever have a breakdown during your fights with me? No! Never! It's so irritating that you're not taking this seriously this time around! Rather than worrying about the safety of Terresia, you're just a selfish brat with too much power on his hands!**_"

"..." Alex couldn't think of anything to say. He looked down at his hands.

_It's true...it really is true, huh? All this time, I've been running away. I've been running away from the truth that there really is no future for me. I've been thinking that I've been fighting for Terresia's sake all along, but even that was lying to myself, wasn't it? Yes, Widdershin's right...I've been selfish this whole time, worrying over my own fate! I should have been thinking about all the people in Terresia who are counting on me! Damn it, what...what the hell have I been doing! I truly am...the worst possible Descender ever._

Kanonno glared at Widdershin, "If you hate us so much, then why not just kill us if you want to?"

"_**Oh, you have **_**no**_** idea how much I want to kill you. If I could, I would have killed both of you the instant you came here. But I can't. I can cast spells if I like, but they barely have any power at all and can't kill anything. Also, you could say that Prophet has been 'programmed' not to kill you.**_"

"Huh? What do you mean by 'programmed'?"

"_**Think about it this way, Kanonno. Do you honestly think I'd want to come back like this at all? After my plan failed in the end? Absolutely not. Mormo might have, but I definitely didn't want to. I hate this existence here...I hate the fact that I have to help **_**you****three**_**, the bastards who are responsible for killing me and ruining my plans! I would have preferred to have rotted away in the Akashic Record for eternity.**_

_**"But there is a being who gave us this form. As 'Prophet' mentioned earlier, that part of us is a mixture of our personalities combined with instructions. In those instructions was one that says 'Do not harm the Terresian or Pascan Descender'. So no matter how much I want to kill you, I can't. Do you understand now, you pieces of shi-"**_

"_ENOUGH! I WON'T LET YOU TALK ABOUT THEM LIKE THAT ANY MORE!"_

Alex's head rose straight up. _That's...!_

With that, Prophet grabbed his head in apparent agony, gritting his teeth. A few seconds later, his right pupil returned to its blue color, and the left eye also began to turn blue. Finally, Prophet relaxed, and looked up at Alex and Kanonno, a smile on his face.

"_Alex, Kanonno...it's been so long since we last saw each other_," Mormo's voice called out.

Alex gasped, and stepped forward, "M-Mormo...? It's you, isn't it? It really is you, right?"

"_That's right, Alex...Did you forget? The three of us made a promise that we'd meet again, remember? It's a bit late, I know, but...we're finally together again_."

Alex finally lost control of himself, and began weeping. Unlike the many times he had cried before, however, Alex's tears were not of sadness.

"Mormo...MORMO! I missed you...I missed you so much! I never...never forgot about you...but...I didn't think I'd see you ever again! You...You're..."

"_Yeah...I'm back. I wanted to tell you ever since that day you came back, but I just couldn't. I'm sorry. Still...I'm overjoyed to finally speak to you again! I missed you too, Alex._"

Kanonno was refusing to look at Mormo, biting her lip and looking at the ground. Concerned, Mormo turned to her, "_What's wrong, Kanonno?"_

"I...I don't deserve...to look at you! I let you die...right before my eyes! You were in so much pain and you were screaming, yet I just stood there like there was nothing going on! Even after you died, they took your body and used it to experiment on in mana research! Someone like that...someone like me...doesn't deserve to be a 'friend' of yours!" Kanonno said, her whole body trembling.

"_It's alright...It's alright, Kanonno. You weren't yourself back then and didn't remember anything. I know that if you had been yourself, you would have done anything you could to save me. After I learned you were Belladonna and what had happened to you, I forgave you. So you don't need to worry, Kanonno. No matter who you are, or what you do, you'll always be my friend,_" Mormo said.

Kanonno finally looked up, and finally released the tears she had been holding back, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry! Forgive me! Please forgive me! I didn't want you to die, Mormo! I wish I could take everything back!"

Mormo smiled, "_I've said it already...but I forgive you, Kanonno._"

For a few minutes, no one said anything. The three just stood there, warmed by the other's company, for at last, after what had seemed an eternity, their promise had been finally fulfilled...

* * *

It was Mormo who finally broke the atmosphere, "_I know that you two are happy to see me again...but there's a lot we have to talk about. We're about to arrive at our destination...that's where you'll learn the truth._"

Alex wiped his tears away, and looked at Mormo with seriousness, "Just one question before that. Why...why didn't you tell us, Mormo? I...I grieved for you for so long, missed you so much, and yet you were there the whole time! Why didn't you tell us until now?"

"_Well...what Widdershin said earlier was right. When we became Prophet, we were given a set of rules to follow. One of those rules was 'make sure neither the Terresian nor Pascan Descenders learn of your true identity'. Frankly, I have to agree with this one. I really did want to tell you badly ever since we met again almost nine months ago, but we agreed it would only distract you from your goal._" Mormo explained.

"Distract me? What do you- oh, like with Kanonno," Alex said.

Mormo nodded, "_Right. Remember when you found out Kanonno was Belladonna? You became obsessed with saving her immediately. We knew that would happen in advance. We also figured that if we told you the truth of our identities immediately, you would become distracted every time we came to you. You were able to treat us like a serious informant until now because you didn't know our identities. But you feel differently now because you know, right?_"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. You do have a point. I may not like it, but I can understand why you did it."

"And that's why you never just went out and told me who I was when I was Belladonna. You knew I would have thought you were crazy and would have told everything to Valvus if I knew. But by hiding the truth, you were able to goad Alex into getting close enough to me until he was able to reveal my identity and save me. I see now. You're cleverer than I remember, Mormo," Kanonno said with a half-smile.

"_As much as we hate him, we have to give some credit to Widdershin for that. Even though he hates this situation, he has a really great strategic mind. He thought up most of these plans, and while I was the one came up with this one, he has rubbed off me a bit in that regard. Ah...we'll more shortly. We're here now._"

As if on cue, a bright light came into view. Prophet's left eye turned red again, and he put back on his mask and hood. Alex and Kanonno shielded their eyes, and they passed straight through the light.

Alex and Kanonno opened their eyes, which soon widened with amazement. They were standing in what appeared to be a giant field of stars, looking down on what appeared to be an infinite spiral that went on and on. Above them was even more stars, but strangely, there were no planets orbiting them. In the center of the realm was a gigantic, circular blue light, illuminating everything they saw.

"Where are we?" Kanonno said.

"**Descenders, what are you doing here?**" A loud, booming voice called out.

Alex moved back in surprise, "Who's there? Where are you?"

Almost immediately, Prophet got on his knees, and bowed, "We have brought them here, Master. We figured it was best that they learned the truth at this point, considering the state they're in right now. We are prepared to face the punishment for my actions, but please tell them the truth if you're going to do that."

"**...It is fine. There will be no punishment. I agree that they should know the truth as well, if it's the only thing that can bring them back to normal. Rest assured, Prophet, your existence will not fade away. I still have a use for you.**"

"...We are humbled that our Master would grace us with such mercy, and we will continue serving you to the best of our abilities," Prophet said. Though Widdershin's voice was calm, Mormo's held relief in it.

"What's going on? Is that...the light speaking?" Kanonno asked.

"**Correct, Pascan Descender. Welcome to this realm. Do you know what I am?**"

When Alex and Kanonno shook their heads, the light spoke once more, "**I figured as much. Very few have actually seen me before. I am the Soul Of The Universe, the creator of the universe,**" The voice said.

"...What?"

"**I am the center of everything in this universe, in this dimension. Every living creature in the world has a soul, which, like the Akashic Record, has to have a source. I am that source, and I govern the lives of these living creatures. If you need another word to think of me...I am more or less God.**" The SOTU said.

(**A/N: From now on, I will refer to the Soul Of The Universe as the 'SOTU'. Remember this, as I'm rarely going to use the full name ever again.**)

Alex's mouth widened, "Y-You're God? You're...actually our God?"

"**Yes. As the SOTU, I create every single living being in this universe. However, I do not have as much power as once did, for reasons I will explain to you. Now then, I'm sure you must have lots of questions. Well then, allow me to answer.**" The SOTU said.

"Wait a minute. We would like to explain a few other things about our origins first before we begin that explanation. Is that alright, Master?" Prophet asked.

The SOTU was silent for a few seconds, "**...Very well. You may explain to them your existence.**"

"We thank you very much, Master," Prophet said. He turned around, and moved to face Alex and Kanonno. Removing his mask, Prophet shut his eyes, and when he opened them, one was red and the other was blue.

"Alright then, let's start from the very beginning. It all happened right after Mormo was killed..."

* * *

_Mormo opened his eyes, the excruciating pain he had been feeling a few minutes ago completely gone. Blinking twice, he turned his head around, noticing he was facing nothing but a giant blue light. Confused, he tried to move his body, but felt nothing. Surprised, he looked down, only to see he had no body._

_"Where...where am I? Am I...dead?" Mormo said in confusion._

_"Hmph, so you're here too? What a surprise. Out of all the people that could have come here, you had to be the one. Well, I see that you're dead as well, so that means you were finally killed. How does it feel, Yaoon Descender?"_

_Mormo gasped, recognizing the voice, "W-Widdershin! You bastard, what are you doing here? You're dead!"_

_"And are you not as well, Yaoon Descender? If you've come to this place, it means that you've died. Don't you feel it? Your body is completely gone. All that's left is your soul. Heh...but it seems as if there's no such thing as a heaven or hell for Descenders...just this nothingness. What a fitting end, I suppose, for weapons," Widdershin said._

_Mormo gasped, "So...so I really am dead. That's right, I died...and I completely failed at my duty! I let Yaoon's mana seed get stolen again, and then I was taken and tortured by that man!"_

_"Hmph, such irony that you helped the Terresian Descender save his world, yet you completely failed at saving your own twice. You truly are a useless Descender, you know that?"_

_"Why, you...!"_

_"__**Silence.**__"_

_Mormo and Widdershin's argument abruptly ended with the sound of the voice, stunning both of them. They turned towards the blue light._

_"Who...what are you?" Mormo asked in awe._

_"__**I am the SOTU. I am the God of this universe, of this dimension. I am the one who created the universe, and I rule over all the souls of this universe. Every living being makes up Me, and I make up every living being. You two Descenders are no exceptions, for I created the being who made you.**__" The SOTU explained._

_"The being who created us...and just who might that be?" Widdershin said. While he sounded irritated, he couldn't help but be curious._

_"__**The Guardian of Descenders. I give him the orders to send a Descender, and he responds to my wishes. In turn, he grants Me power from each Mana Tree the Descenders are summoned from. However, when Descenders like you are killed, you go to the Akashic Record, like all souls, but you stay there for eternity,**__" The SOTU said._

_"Huh? What's this 'Akashic Record'?" Mormo asked._

_"__**I'll give you the full story later. Right now, there is a very important job I must have the two of you do right now. Understood? Listen to Me. Right now, there is a great threat, one which threatens the entire universe.**__"_

_"Are you talking about those people who attacked Yaoon and killed me? Are they that much of a threat?" Mormo said, worried._

_"__**That is correct. They are enacting a very dangerous plan that is so devastating that it will affect everyone in the universe. For starters, those people are going to cause the death of their own world and everyone living on it.**__"_

_"And which world is that?" Widdershin asked._

_"__**That would be the world Pasca. I know both of you have at least heard of it.**__"_

Mormo gasped, "Pasca! That's Kanonno's world! So they're the ones behind the attack on Yaoon. But how can they travel through worlds?"

_"__**The answer to that would be Gilgulim and the World Tree. When the Terresian and Pascan Descenders destroyed Gilgulim, it didn't quite get destroyed. No, it survived, but retreated into space. When the Terresian World Tree caused the rebirth of all the worlds, Gilgulim absorbed all of those worlds, but in a different way. With this method, most of the universe is actually inside Gilgulim, but their all alive and people live there normally.**_

_**"However, this also means that the universe is inside one world, and therefore they are all connected through the World Trees. The leader of the Pascans, a man name Valvus Goden, has the power to teleport anywhere he wants. By teleporting into the World Tree, he is able to access the Stream of Mana.**__"_

"He can teleport anywhere? How is that possible? Moreover, what's the Stream of Mana?" Widdershin asked.

_"__**The Stream of Mana is the flow of mana that a World Tree spreads throughout its world. However, since nearly all the worlds are in one right now, that means that all their Streams of Mana are connected. This allows Valvus to travel to any world he wants to. As for his teleportation, he was just born with the power.**__"_

_"So they can travel through the worlds, and if they stole Yaoon's mana seed...that means they must be planning to do that for every world! This is bad! What are we going to do!"_

_"__**The very thing I summoned you for. Listen up. Just now, the command has been given for the Terresian Descender, Alex, to be reborn.**__"_

_Mormo gasped, "A-Alex is going to be reborn? But why? Terresia was only saved a month or two ago!"_

_"__**The Pascans are moving towards Terresia next. They plan to take Gilgulim and cause it to land in Terresia, and then use their armies to overrun it while the World Tree is drained. When Terresia is drained, it's all over. Therefore, I have decided for the two of you to become a sort of 'guide' to Alex.**__"_

"WHAT!" Widdershin shouted, enraged.

_"__**Silence. You have no say in the matter. I plan to create a vessel for both of your souls to reside in. You will both rule in this body, which will be like a ghost's. I will make the body similar to yours, Widdershin, but I will give Mormo the greater authority over it. When you merge, you will create a third personality that combines your attributes with some of my own. With this body, I will provide you with intelligence about events in the near future, which you will relay to Alex. As you do so, you should be able to help Alex save the universe. There is a lot riding on this, so I expect you to do this well,"**_

_Widdershin snorted, "No. No way. Why do you expect me to become the ally of two people who killed me? Besides, a plot to destroy the universe? Ridiculous. I did something similar with Gilgulim, a plan that had almost succeeded, if it weren't for Mormo over there and that Terres-"_

_"__**Your plan would have failed.**__"_

_Widdershin stopped talking. For the first time in his life, Widdershin was truly shocked beyond all words, "W-What?"_

_"__**Please. Did you honestly think that a single world could hold the mana of all those other worlds? You were so caught up in your own desires that you didn't even notice that Gilgulim's core was on the verge of exploding from all that absorbed mana. If it hadn't been for Alex stopping you and you had absorbed Terresia, Gilgulim would have been destroyed and the entire universe would have been lost. Your plan to create a 'one, perfect world' was a complete joke. There can be no such thing as that. In other words, everything you did was completely useless from the start. Your whole existence as a Descender was a failure.**__" _

_"..." Widdershin was far too stunned to speak, his voice caught in his throat with shock. _

_Satisfied, the SOTU turned its attention to Mormo, "__**Alright then, it will take some time for your body to be complete. In the meantime, here are your first instructions. When Alex is reborn from the World Tree, you are to go down to him and relay him these pieces of information. First of all, tell him a threat is coming to Terresia that he will need to prepare for, and tell him to gather Terresia's forces and create a united army. Next, tell him to look for something called the 'Jade Key'.**__"_

_"What's this 'Jade Key'?" Mormo asked._

_"__**I will tell you the full story once you have your new bodies, but for now, know that it will unlock the answer he needs for victory. It is absolutely vital that he gets this key, so remind him. Finally, you must tell him to remember the name Cruxis. Are we in agreement?**__"_

"_Yes, I agree to your plan! I don't fully understand the situation, but if it means helping Alex and saving the universe, then I'll do it!" Mormo exclaimed._

_Widdershin finally spoke, "I have...nothing left. My whole plan was a failure, my whole life was nothing but a waste, and I'm being forced into this wretched existence. But if someone else thinks they can do better than I can at destroying the universe, well then, that's not going to happen. I'll do it, for I have no other way to define my existence."_

_"__**Very good. I will begin the merging procedure now. You are no longer Mormo and Widdershin. You shall now be called...ah, yes. You will be named Prophet, for you are My messenger, one who relays My words to my creations..**__."_

* * *

"Amazing..." Kanonno said.

"Yeah, but that's not the full story. Have you ever wondered about why time stops when we appear or why we are only allowed to appear before for a limited time? Or why we are able to use some spells in the world despite the fact that we're ghosts?" Prophet asked.

Alex scratched his head, "Well, yeah, I've always wondered those things. Will you tell us?"

Prophet nodded, "Of course. First of all, when we decide to appear in front of you, we first target the area that you're in, and observe the surroundings. As you know, we are ghosts, and therefore, we cannot appear in the world of the living to everyone, for that would defy the rules of the world. Therefore, we isolate the area you are in, and then create a barrier of mana that surrounds the area, stopping time. Essentially, we are in an alternate dimension whenever we talk, but you return to your own dimension once we're done."

"Huh? That doesn't make sense. If you say that, then why is it that you can only talk to us for a short time? According to you, we're in another dimension during that time, so shouldn't we be able to talk for as long as possible?"

Prophet's head lowered, "Well, you see, that's the other thing we need to tell you about. You see, there's a limitation on our body: mana. As you know, all living things require mana in their bodies to live, but because of the way the body is designed, mana is replenished naturally in the body by taking in food and drink. As we are an unnatural ghost, and therefore our body violates the rules of the world, we can't replenish mana. To compensate for this, the SOTU gave us a body with a great amount of mana. If it had as much power as it once did, it could have given us a body that would have run eternally.

"But in the weakened state the SOTU is in now, it can only give us this limited body. Like a human's body, it contains a maximum amount of mana, but unlike living creatures, we cannot replenish the mana inside our bodies. Therefore, when we appear in the living world, we only have a limited amount of mana to use, and we only appear to you as long as we need to in order to conserve this mana. Whenever we're in this world, we are not defying any natural laws, so we retain the amount of mana we currently have there. But we've had to use so much mana recently that as of now, we barely have any mana left to appear in your world."

"And why is that?" Kanonno asked.

"It is because of our powers. Alex, remember when we took you to the Guardian of Descenders? It mentioned each Descender had their own unique power that was granted to them. For you, Alex, it was Destruction, also known as Power. Kanonno's is known as Defense, also called Manipulation. Do you remember what it also said about the last two?"

"They were...Healing and Spell...wait, are you saying...?" Alex said, surprised.

Prophet nodded, "Yes. We are those Descenders. Mormo has the ability of Healing and Widdershin contains the ability of Spell. With these powers, we can use some abilities in the real world. Don't you remember? We used the ability of Heal in your prescience the night before Shiroc..."

"The night before Shiroc- wait, wasn't that when you healed me? So that was you using your Descender ability?"

"Yes. We also used Spell to free your friends from their cell in Granvoise Castle, and also to snap Alex out of his depression after seeing Calamos, and once more at Fort Vaia, with that Blizzard spell," Prophet explained.

Alex's head snapped up, "Wait, so if you did that, and you gave me false information, then does that mean that was Widdershin at the time?"

Prophet nodded, "Right. Our Mormo half had been suppressed by Widdershin, who decided to give you false information in hopes of being killed. When Mormo was about to come out and warn you, Widdershin quickly used Spell to create a Blizzard spell, which exhausted so much of our mana that we had to return to this realm. As punishment for our transgression, the SOTU chained us up for about three months."

Alex turned to the SOTU, "But why would you do that? You saw the future, right? Why would you imprison them when you knew what was to happen?"

"**A punishment is a punishment. It needs to be carried out no matter what the circumstances are. Besides, I knew that you two would escape that dungeon eventually.**"

Kanonno frowned, "Even so, couldn't you have something on your own with your own powers? You say you are God, right? If that's the case don't you have a lot of power?"

"**...Right now, I barely have any power. Once, long ago, I had nearly unlimited power, but I lost nearly all of it in an incident. Prophet, are you done explaining yourself?**"

Prophet bowed, "We are, Master. So to sum it up, we have very limited mana to work with now due to these circumstances, so we won't be able to appear in front of you from now on. Master, we apologize for taking up your time. Go ahead."

"**Good. Then listen up, Descenders of Terresia and Pasca. I am about to reveal to you the source of everything, as well as the true purpose for your existence. First of all, Pascan Descender, tell Me, what is Valvus' plan and why does he wish for it?**"

"To destroy Pasca and kill everyone living on it. Master Valvus told me he was sick of this world. Sick of everyone killing each other again and again and again over centuries of war and never learning their lesson. He thought he'd teach them humility by conquering all of Pasca, but even then he said that his conquest showed no change in the hearts of humans. So he decided to gather the Descender artifacts and combine them with the power of the Eye of God to destroy Pasca. But...he said something strange that I'm not quite sure I understood," Kanonno said.

"**And what would that be?**"

Kanonno frowned, "He said...that he wished to start everything again from nothingness and to 'imprint the sin of humanity once more'. What he fully meant, I don't know, but it seems as if his plan doesn't end with the destruction of Pasca, like he has more after that."

"**...So it seems. However, you must know now, Pascan Descender, that you were lied to. Valvus' plan is not the destruction of Pasca. It is a plan far worse than that. Valvus' true plan is...the annihilation of the entire universe.**"

Alex and Kanonno's eyes widened in shock.

"The destruction of the universe! That's impossible! How could someone like Valvus destroy the universe? He doesn't have that kind of power, and the Ruins of Jezid could only allow the destruction of Pasca!" Alex exclaimed.

"**And that is why I must tell you a story. A story about the first Descenders in existence. This is a story that took place over ten thousand years ago.**"

"Ten thousand years ago? But- according to Valvus' researchers, the first Descenders didn't appear until nearly 6350 years ago!" Kanonno interjected.

"**That's because originally, all the worlds used to be one world named Neide. Because of this, the rotation of Neide was different from the rotation Pasca. In other words, what was 6350 Pascan years was actually about ten thousand years in the Neide. Anyway, ten thousand years ago, I created the Guardian of Descenders, who in turn created them to be "guardians" of sorts for the planet, and were slightly different in function compared to the four of you. While you've been created specifically to deal with threats, the first Descenders were just peacekeepers, intent on protecting Neide from general threats. There were many Descenders initially, though once the Guardian created several, I found that we could only unmake them directly. All was well...initially.**"

"**But suddenly, a great threat arrived, intent on destroying Neide and ending humanity forever by annihilating the universe. This threat managed to take control of My powers and used it to influence the common people into self-destructive war, which lead to the death of many Descenders. All the dead from this war became mana that this threat absorbed, whose plan was to gather enough mana from the dead to use as energy to destroy the universe. It also cut off My link to the Guardian of Descenders, thereby preventing Me from making orders to create more Descenders. It seemed all was lost.**"

"**However, the threat was stopped by the last remaining Descenders. Six brave warriors, who created the Descender Artifacts, being the only weapons capable of defeating the threat. They confronted the threat, and managed to defeat it. But it was nearly too late, as My power was going out of control and was about to destroy the entire universe. So the Descenders, using the power of the artifacts, sealed Me away in order to prevent this incident from occurring. However, I was able to use My powers at the last minute to split Neide up into countless other worlds.**"

"Wait, so even though you weren't the threat, the Descenders still sealed you? But if that's so, then why are you here right now?" Alex asked.

"**I'm getting to that part. After the battle, the Descenders went to a temple that was built in worship of Me, the Temple of Jezid. Using their powers, the Descenders managed to create a tablet to seal My power into, writing instructions as how to free me. Three of the artifacts, known as the "Armor" Artifacts, were to act as a key for anyone who collected all three of them to free My power from the tablet so they could have it for themselves. But the other three, the "Warrior" Artifacts, were designed to act as a countermeasure for that. They also created one other artifact...the Jade Key.**"

Alex looked surprised, "The Jade Key was created by the Descenders? But why? What purpose did it serve?"

"**The Jade Key was created as a key that could fit in any lock. When presented in front of a lock, it releases mana in the same way a bat releases its sonar. It then 'reads' the shape of the lock, and changes its shape via mana to fit into the lock. As for its purpose, it was to act as the key to another artifact, the Emerald Safe. What that safe contains is something even I don't know.**"

"Valvus found the Emerald Safe, but I don't know what he found in there. Considering the fact he locked the Jade Key under Fort Besos, he must have already taken what was in there," Kanonno said.

"**With that, the Descenders split up; hiding their artifacts away in the most hidden areas they could think of. Even I do not know where they all are to this date. However, while this was supposed to be peace, it all ended abruptly when one of the Descenders betrayed the others. That Descender, who possessed the Creator Gauntlets, killed all but one, and engaged the last in a climatic showdown at the Temple of Jezid. In the end, both Descenders killed each other, and their battle caused the temple to collapse and cave in, losing both the Creator Gauntlets and the Heaven's Guard.**"

"**Because of the damage of the battle, part of the tablet was damaged, and I was freed into the form you see before you. As I was released, I absorbed the soul and memories of one of the dying Descenders, which is why I know this much about the artifacts. I realized that I was sealed away into the Ruins of Jezid, but I had no idea what world it was on or where the artifacts were. I felt that I was doomed to spend eternity in this low energy state, where I have only enough energy to influence the Akashic Record and request for more Descenders.**"

"**But that all changed when the Ruins of Jezid were excavated fifty years ago, though My chamber was not discovered until three years ago. Suddenly, I became aware of myself, along with the world I was on: Pasca. I realized that all six artifacts were on this world, but I had no idea where they were. I couldn't even move from the tablet, no matter how hard I tried, and so I once again fell into despair.**"

"**It was then that Valvus found My chamber three years ago. Deciphering it, he set out to find the three "Armor" Artifacts to steal my power for himself. He then attacked the World Tree, which forced me to send you to defend it from them, but you know the rest. Valvus then began his plan to destroy the universe. By teleporting to other worlds, he was able to steal their mana seeds and brought them to the tablet. This allowed My power to acknowledge the existence of those other worlds, and thus connecting that world to Pasca.**"

"**Since all of the worlds are inside Gilgulim, Valvus was able to abuse the Akashic Record, as it would normally be impossible to connect all the worlds together. But since Gilgulim counts as one world, every world inside Gilgulim counts only as one world. There's only one world that doesn't fall into this system...Terresia. Valvus attacked Terresia in hopes of killing everyone on it so that he wouldn't need to worry about connecting it.** **And so, that is why everything up until now has happened.**"

Kanonno frowned, "So that explains everything. Why Valvus lied to me, why the Artifacts exist in the first place, and what the true meaning behind all that power in the Ruins of Jezid is. When I was reborn, I never would have thought this was a whole big web of events that started ten thousand years ago."

Alex's head shot up, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you about that: why were Kanonno and I reborn? From what I've heard, every time there's a new threat to a world, rather than use the same Descender, a new one is created. Mormo, for example, is Yaoon's third Descender, yet he too was summoned again. Why did this happen?"

The SOTU paused, "**...You are right, it is traditional that a new Descender is created for each new threat. But the threat this time was so powerful, that I felt I must use the strongest Descenders I had for each world. You two are the most powerful Descenders I had at the time, so I used you to try and deal with Valvus. However, there is one thing I must confess: there is a drawback to using a Descender twice, something that has affected both of you.**"

Alex and Kanonno looked at each other in confusion, "What's that?"

"**I call it Descender Existential Syndrome. A Descender is truly only meant to be used once, when they start out as blank slates. They learn more and more about life as they go on, but before they begin thinking too much about themselves, they have usually vanquished the threat and return their World Trees after that. At that point, their bodies are stored in the Hall of Descenders, while their memories are in the Akashic Record. Usually, their memories die out over the course of thousands of years. However, when a Descender is brought back for a second time, they keep their memories of the last time they were alive.**"

"**As a result, the Descenders begin to question their existence and meaning in life. They begin to wish like the beings around them and have their own lives. They lose their concentration on their original goal, and are more easily distracted. There are many times where these Descenders have suffered mental breakdowns, to the point where several have killed themselves. This is a contradiction to a Descender's existence. They're not supposed to think about anything for themselves, and are always supposed to think about the greater good and the people in their world. A normal life is something a Descender cannot have. A Descender exists only to defend their world.**"

Alex felt a bit of anger rise in him, "So in other words, we really are nothing but weapons to you."

"**Unfortunately, that is right. You were never meant to be anything but My weapons. And unless a weapon is being used, it has no other purpose, no choice for life. I understand you want to live a normal life, but you need to realize that it's impossible. There's nothing I can do for you, Alex. This may sound harsh to you, but you need to give up all dreams of living normally and return to your goal.**"

Alex lowered his head, biting his lip. _I know he's right- he has to be right, after all, he's responsible for my creation. Even so, just hearing the truth really hurts. So in other words- my life has only one path? Damn it!_

Kanonno shook her head. _So it's true then; there is no future for me. I was prepared for that, but even I can't deny that I had a small speck of hope that it wasn't true..._

"_Alex, Kanonno...I'm sorry, but the SOTU is right. I didn't want to believe it when I first heard it either, but it's the truth. That's why the two of you need to treasure what time you have left now. You may not realize it, but you have a lot more people who care for you than you think. Do you want to leave them with memories of two people who acted aloof to them all along, or as two great friends who were always there for them during the war?_" Mormo said.

Kanonno nodded, "I- I know that. I've been trying my best to enjoy life as much as I can. But...there's one question I can't answer for myself, no matter how many times I ask: just what am I? If I'm the Pascan Descender, why am I killing my own people for a second time? I don't know...I don't know what to think! It's not like it was last time! This time, I've truly gotten to know the Pascans! Being Belladonna and doing all those terrible things was a terrible time in my life, but at the same time, I got to know the Pascans! And they weren't the horrible monsters I thought they were the first time! They're just normal people who think they're fighting for the right reasons! The ones who were truly at fault were the leaders of Pasca at the time!"

"I was wrong all along! The Pascans proved me wrong, that I was killing people who were just trying to live for their lands! But now, I know that Valvus is wrong! I know he's the one responsible for all of this! I know he must be stopped, and we need to get to him! But if that's the case, what should I do! I don't want to kill Pascans; I don't want to kill my people! _WHAT SHOULD I DO?_"

Prophet turned away, "We can't answer that question for you, Kanonno. The only one who can tell you the meaning of your existence and your path in life is you yourself."

"Completely contradicting what we just heard from the SOTU," Kanonno replied.

"That's not what we meant. Yes, it's true that the SOTU has just told you your true meaning for existence, but in the end, you are the one who controls your actions. It's up to you to decide how you're going to live from now until the end. But we can give you one piece of advice

"**But even weapons can be capable of performing great deeds that will make them remembered the world over. Alex, Kanonno, allow me to explain the task I have laid out for you.**"

"**While the Descender Artifacts are meant to be used to either control my power or cancel it out, something else happens when all six are presented to the altar. If that happens, I will be freed from the tablet for good, and return to my full power. This form that I have now is not even ten percent of my true power. With my full power, I will be able to end all of this, and return everything to normal.**"

"Just what do you mean?" Alex asked, his voice getting excited.

"**I mean that I can fix the many problems that plague the universe. For one, I can destroy Gilgulim, thereby restoring all the worlds back to their original places in the universe. This will undo all the damage that Valvus has done to those worlds, and none of them will be lost. I can also help all the worlds that were endangered by restoring their mana back to normal. And finally, while I can't bring the dead back to life, I can help restore the population using my influence over the Akashic Record.**"

Kanonno gasped, "Restore the population? How is that possible!"

"**You see, when souls are brought into the Akashic Record, they stay there for a while, and are one day reborn into new bodies. This is the process know as reincarnation. While it usually takes a while for souls to be reincarnated, there have been an abundance of souls from dead soldiers, so I can speed up the process and cause these souls to be reincarnated sooner. In other words, all of the lives lost to this conflict will be returned in another form.**"

"Are you serious about all of this? You can really undo all the damage?" Alex replied, a hopeful look on his face.

"**But of course. I care for the people that I have created. T****herefore, here is the task I need you to do. You must find the third "Warrior" Artifact, and use its power as your own. However, you need to wait for Valvus to find the third "Armor" Artifact. If you get there before he has all three artifacts, then nothing will happen to the tablet. Valvus is currently searching for the third artifact with all the teams he can spare, so just leave it to him. Word should come out eventually when the artifact is discovered, so be sure to spy on the Pascans for the news.**"

"**Finally, you must hurry to the Ruins of Jezid when you get the artifact. When the time comes, follow Valvus into the Ruins, then confront him in the room where my tablet is. After that, you must kill him, take the artifacts from him, or have him present the artifacts at the same time as you. When all six artifacts are present, the tablet should shatter, and I shall be freed. I will then help you out in fixing everything.**"

"**Our discussion ends here. Do you understand the task that has been given to you?**"

Kanonno nodded, "If it can save the lives of so many people, then I'll do it. I know that Alex has the artifacts, but I'll do everything I can to ensure that the deaths of the soldiers of Pasca are not in vain!"

Alex, on the other hand, was silent, lost in thought, "...Let me just make one thing clear. After we free you, we're going to return to our World Trees, right? There's no chance of any other option?"

"**As I have said, a Descender having a normal life is an impossible dream. Remember what Mormo just said to you about your friends. While you are going back to the World Tree in the end of all of this, the way you choose to live it is completely your decision. Can you safely say that you are glad with the way you've lived your life up until now?**"

"I...I'm..."

* * *

_What have I been doing all this time after all? That's right, I've been alone all this time, haven't I? But that's to be expected. I'm just a Descender, there's no way I should be allowed to be their friend! That's right, I-_

_No, that's wrong! That's completely wrong! I'm using the same excuse- the same excuse I've used over and over again ever since the beginning! The greatest one at fault here is not them! Not Ad Libitum! Not my friends! They've been with me ever since I came back to life! When I reappeared to them at Doplund, did they shun me? No! They embraced me with open arms and welcomed me back! Even the new members treated me as a dear friend even though I didn't try to get to know them better! There was no ulterior motive behind those actions; there was nothing of the sort! Yeah, what was wrong with them just wanting to be friends with me!_

_But they've never been there for me. I suffered so long. While I was away, despairing for my fate, who came up to me and comforted me? No one! Not a single one of them showed any signs of concern for me! They ignored me like I was a pile of-_

_STOP! I need to stop lying to myself, stop changing facts to fit my own convenience! It wasn't that they were never there for me; it was that I was never there for them. That's right, ever since I began fighting this war, I was nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a "living being". My friends saw that, and they tried to reach out for me to help me. I realized that a long time ago at Fort Arcos, after I saw everyone worried for me. I knew they cared for me...but I ignored that. The second time I knew was when everyone showed sympathy for me when they heard about Kanonno. Yet again, I pretended that it never had happened. Even after the reminders from Kanonno, I kept trying to ignore everyone else that wasn't her. Why! Why did I pretend that I was unloved, ignore that everyone just wanted to help me! Why?_

_Because Alex Terresca was afraid of the concept of "friendship". Alex Terresca knew he was cared for by many people. People he wanted to be friends with badly. But he felt there was no way he could be friends with them. No, wait, that's not right. It was that he was afraid of being friends with people. And why is that?_

_...That's right. It's because I knew I was going to disappear. I cried like a spoiled brat over my inevitable death, and shunned everyone away from me. That's because I was terrified at the idea that there would be more things that would make me want to leave this world less. That by actually enjoying life, it would be even more painful to leave it eventually. I kept believing that foolish ideal, ran away from everyone, and convinced myself of the idea that I was all alone. Yes...that's right. I ran away from the concept of "living" in order to avoid the pain._

_And do you still believe that ideal?_

_"_...No."

"_A-Alex?_"

"NO! I am not happy with how I've lived up until now! I HAVEN'T LIVED AT ALL! I REJECTED THE WORLD OUT OF MY OWN COWARDICE! Everyone...everyone just wanted to help me! Why did I have to go and reject all of them! This isn't living, this is a great mistake! I WAS WRONG ALL ALONG! _**I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A COWARD**_!"

With that, Alex collapsed to the ground, sobbing his heart out. He felt all his pent up emotions over the last eight months burst out of him like a cannon.

_Enough. Enough crying. I'm through with that!_

With that thought, Alex wiped away his tears, determination in his eyes, "I'll do it! I'll save the universe! I will find the other artifact, and I will defeat Valvus! Up until now, I've been a failure as a Descender...but no longer! I swear, I will cast aside who I used to be and fight for the sake of everyone else's lives! No one will suffer any more because of my selfishness! I will stop shunning life and embrace it! That is the vow I take here!"

"**...Well done. It seems you have finally seen the light and realized the path you must take.**"

"_Alex- I'm so glad. I'm so glad that you've managed to overcome your complex,_" Mormo said.

Alex turned, and smiled, "Thank you, everyone. It's because of you that I was able to face myself and accept what I have to do. I promise, I will never block anyone else out of my life, and even though I'm going to die, I'm going to try and live every day with strength and optimism. I now finally realize what you were trying to say, Kanonno. Thank you."

Kanonno looked up at Alex, then painfully turned away from him, hesitation in her glance, "Y-you're welcome."

Alex frowned. _That's right. Regardless what I think, I still did that terrible thing to her down in the dungeon! No wonder she isn't looking at me- she shouldn't look at someone who did such a disgusting thing. I'm no longer accountable as a Descender for those problems as a Descender- this was my fault as an individual. But even so, I need to apologize to her...but how?_

_No, worry about that later. Right now, I've made a vow, and I must stick to it!_

"Mormo, err, Prophet, um..." Alex began.

Mormo shifted back to Prophet, "Alex, Kanonno, even though you now know our true identities, we would prefer it if you continued to call us Prophet. It's much easier that way. Can you do that?"

Kanonno nodded, smiling, "Of course. To be honest, I'd have trouble referring to both of you at once. But will we ever see you again?"

"...We are not sure. There may be a way to recharge our low mana, but we're not sure of it yet. If we find a way, we'll make sure to tell you. Until then, don't expect to see us in a while," Prophet explained.

"If that's the case, then see you later, Mormo. Even though you're dead and never coming back, it was great to see you. You're...you're still my partner and friend, in both death and life," Alex said with a smile.

"This isn't goodbye, remember? We promised! So let's make another promise, too see each again one more time! No matter what we go through, we'll still be friends until the end!" Kanonno cried.

"...We see. We will keep this promise as well. Well then, we'll return you to your bodies now. Good luck, Alex and Kanonno. We'll be watching you," Prophet said. He was holding back tears.

With that, Prophet spread both of his arms, and a shining light came out of both. Alex and Kanonno felt a strange feeling, then their bodies flew into the air and out of the black space, moving back towards reality.

"**Those two are the only hope I have left...**"

* * *

Mia was sitting in Alex and Kanonno's room, quietly reading a file from the military archives in the base, humming the same song she had been singing earlier. Suddenly, she heard a shifting sound coming from the sheets. Mia put down the file immediately and walked over to the beds, expecting to have to take care of them again.

Alex opened his eyes, flickering back and forth as he looked up to the ceiling. He felt as if his entire body was weighed down by an anchor, having hardly moved in the past two months. He tried to move his arms, but he could barely feel anything out of them, other than the complete lack of strength in them. Finally, realizing he wouldn't be able to move at all, he turned his head over to Mia.

Mia's eyes widened at this. Quickly, she glanced over to Kanonno, who was showing similar signs of movement. Her head also moved around, glancing around at her surroundings. As she saw Mia, her senses full awoke.

"So, it seems you two have finally awoken. You've been asleep for 27 days now," Mia said.

Alex looked up at her, "You...I remember you. Mia...Mia Alzen, right?"

"You saved our lives back in that prison, and you've been taking care of us for the last month, haven't you? I can't thank you enough for doing that, Mia. I'm truly grateful for what you did," Kanonno said. For the first time in a long time, Kanonno smiled, looking into Mia's eyes.

Mia paused for a second, and finally nodded, "You're welcome, Kanonno. I'm glad that you two have finally snapped out of it. Does this mean that you two are going to continue fighting?"

Alex smiled, "Yeah, that's right. There's a lot at stake here...much more than I thought there was. Also...I realize that I've been selfish, and have been living my life the wrong way. All this time, I've been lying to myself- no, lying to everyone. I claimed that I was fighting for Terresia, but I was wrong.

"I was running away- running away from everything that I was. I didn't want to face the fact that I was going to die. But now, I realize that there are so many other lives out there that only I can help. I must cast aside the selfish 'me' that has existed in this world up until now, and become the Descender I was created to be!"

Alex suddenly realized who he was speaking to, and shifted his eyes, "I'm sorry about that...you probably didn't understand a word I said, did you?"

"It's fine. I'm a good listener," Mia replied, her expression as blank as always.

Slightly unnerved, Alex continued, "Well, anyway, we're back now, and we're ready to return to the battlefield. Can you update us on the status of the war?"

"Understood. First of all, the Ad Libitum unit has been fighting in Western Scollance for the past month, and has taken over several towns. Last we heard, they were fighting a Pascan unit near the town of Sellard. The Green Blades unit has been locked in a standstill in intense fighting in Southern Scollance. Both units intend to meet up and launch an attack on the city of Helmos. There have been several skirmishes occurring on the seas, but nothing major has happened there. In other words, the war has progressed somewhat, but not too much," Mia replied.

"Have there been any movements from the Pascans elsewhere?" Kanonno asked.

Mia paused, "Let's see. Well, there has been some activity around Mount Hatmas, but it doesn't seem to be military related. Other than that, there's nothing I can think of."

"I see. Well, thank you for the update," Kanonno said. _Valvus often mentioned sending excavation teams to Mount Hatmas for the third artifact. If the tablet at the Ruins of Hamarabi was right, then that's where the third Armor Artifact is located. Impossible-could Valvus have already found it?_

Mia nodded, "You're welcome. Oh, and there's several things I need to mention to you. First of all, both of you have been demoted as a result of the incident you've been through. Alex Terresca, you have been demoted from Brigadier General to a Lieutenant. Kanonno Earhart, you have been demoted from a Brigadier General to a Colonel."

Alex looked surprised, but not upset, "Really...To be honest, I wasn't that good of a general and the Terresian government forced me to become one, so I'm not that upset about this. Still, it's a bit of a surprise. I guess I'll have to adjust to this change."

"I'm a bit of the same. I have experience commanding from when I was Belladonna, but General was always a bit too much for me. Oh well, maybe this will make things a little easier," Kanonno said.

"There's one other thing. Starting from this day on, you two are to be under severe physical and mental therapy. You've barely moved in two months, so I'll be surprised if you could even get off the bed in your states. I am in charge of your physical therapy, since we're so short staffed on people here. As for mental therapy, I don't even think I need to mention why you need it in the first place. Two doctors in service to the UFTW who specialize in this type of therapy have been assigned to you, and will meet you tomorrow. Since the two of you were tortured in different ways, you will not take these sessions together, and will be in separate locations when this happens. Do you understand?" Mia explained.

""Yes.""

"Good. Well then, my work here is done. I must go and report your recovery to General Gallardo. I'll see you later," Mia said. With that, she walked over to the door, and left the room.

Alex and Kanonno were left alone in the room. They looked towards each other, and then awkwardly turned away, still separated by the wall that remained from the torture...

* * *

**Well, it's finally done! I'm sorry this chapter is later than I had hoped for- to sum it up, real life got in the way for over a month. But now I've finished it!**

**I'd like to apologize again for this chapter being a mess of exposition. I would normally been editing this chapter heavily before I went and published it, but since I'm going to be leaving for a three week trip in two days, I don't have enough time to do that. Sorry, I hope you weren't too confused. If you were confused about something, please tell me in a review. Note that I may edit this chapter properly when I return from my trip.**

**Because of the trip, I won't be able to write for a while, so the chapter probably won't be out until mid-late August. I'm sorry that I've become such a slow updater!**

**Ah, I'd like to announce one more thing. Sometime in the next ten chapters, I'm going to add one more Tales character to the cast, who will be the last Tales character added. Want to take any guesses who it will be?**

**Now then, here's the profile for the Soul of the Universe (SOTU)**

**The Soul of The Universe: The center of all life in the universe, it controls all souls that exist. All of its power was sealed away in an incident ten thousand years ago.**

**Age: Has existed since the start of the universe. Hair color: None. Eye color: None. Weapon: None**

**Voice actor: Kirk Thornton. Seiyu: Banjo Ginga.**

**Well then, until next time!**


	45. Chapter 43: Door Of Life

Hey everybody, Final Poke Mario Fan's prepared another chapter for you guys. Time to read!

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 43: Door Of Life

* * *

_Clang. The sounds of a swordfight. Two men were training together, slashing back and forth with their swords._

_"Huff...huff...Not bad, Lodric. You've improved," The third man's voice called out._

_"Heh heh...you too, Solbes. I guess I underestimated you a bit because you act like an old man," Lodric replied._

_A sigh broke out, "Geez, the two of you are so hot-heated!"_

_"And you're not, Akena?" Solbes said sarcastically._

_"Sh-Shut up!" Akena shouted, "At least I'm not spending all day bashing the other with a sword!"_

_"But isn't being a Magic Knight virtually the same thing for you, Akena? I mean, in all our practice sessions, you can be a bit unfair, hiding behind that lance of yours while you cast spells," The other girl said._

_"Mph...well, Protus has been helping me with my magic. But even so, it's unfair to say that I'm hiding behind the lance! If we're too nice during practices, what'll happen when we have to fight our enemies!" Akena shouted._

_"You sure you're not just taking it out on us ever since we had to save you from that dragon when you fell into that muddy ditch and screamed 'save me' over and over again? I know we joked about for a while, but..." Lodric started._

_"LIGHTNING!"_

_Lodric jumped back just in time to avoid the spell, "WHOA! Hey, I...I was just kidding! There's no need to try to kill me with that!"_

_"Oh, that? That wouldn't have killed you. At the very least, you would have been fried for a few hours with some light burns," Akena replied nonchalantly._

_"Y-You're really harsh, you know that?" Lodric said._

_"Yes, I do. And I won't let up until you give in!" Akena said, clearly enjoying this. Solbes snickered, and even the other girl couldn't help but let out a giggle._

_Lodric sighed, "Geez...fine. What do I have to do to gain your forgiveness?"_

_"Cook me something good. You know what I like."_

_"No way. Do it yourself."_

_"You know I can't cook! Remember when you all tried my cooking that one time?"_

_Solbes shuddered, "Please don't remind me of that...I threw up for two days just from one bite of that...thing,"_

_"I know my cooking is crap, okay? But you're...you're a good cook. There, I admitted it! So-So shut up and just make me something!"_

"Oh-ho, is that a blush I see on your face, Ake-"

_"Shut your damn mouth, Solbes!"_

_"Mmh...I don't know, Akena. I mean, after that Lightning spell, I think that I'm simply too shocked to cook properly..."_

_"Oh, come on, Lodric, quit teasing her like that. Can't you see she's sorry?" The other girl asked in a sweet voice. Lodric gulped._

_"Um...well, if you put it that way, then I guess I can't refuse. Alright Akena, you win. Just give me a little while, okay?" Lodric said. _

_"Much appreciated," Akena said, snickering to herself._

_Lodric moaned, causing everyone to laugh. Seconds later he himself joined in, but soon enough, their laughter faded..._

* * *

Alex's eyes squinted as the sun's rays hit him directly in the face. As he opened his eyes, he looked in surprise to see that he was in a different room than the one he had been in for the past month. While the last room had been fairly spacious, with two beds and a window that only offered a view to the empty skies, this room was smaller, only a single bed against the southern wall, a nightstand right next to it. The window in this room revealed a courtyard, where several soldiers were training together, practicing various guarding techniques.

_Huh? Where is this?_

A knock came from his door, "Lieutenant Terresca, are you awake?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. You can come in," Alex said, after a moment's pause. _I'm still not used to Lieutenant yet, huh?_

The door opened, and a man entered the room, quickly saluting, "I was sent by General Gallardo to inform you that as of last night, you were transferred from the inn to the Depas military base. Your physical therapy session begins in fifteen minutes, which will be done by Mia Alzen. If you have any questions, I will answer them now, sir."

"...What's going to happen to me now?" Alex asked.

The man pulled out a small scroll, reading it, "According to this, you and Colonel Earhart will spend a week here, regaining some of your physical strength. You should be able to at least walk by the end of the week, so by that time, you'll be put on a caravan to meet up with the UFTW forces fighting in Western Scollance. On the way there, your therapy will continue, and by the time we reach them, you should be ready for battle."

Alex took a deep sigh, "I see. Well, thank you for telling me. Is there anything else?"

"No, nothing else. Oh, in case you're wondering, Colonel Earhart is in the next room over. Well then, I shall take my leave," Said the soldier, who saluted, then left the room.

Alex looked outside the window again. He watched the soldiers train, swinging their swords left and right while their partners blocked the blows with their shields. In another corner of the training field, and archer was practicing shooting, as he carefully aimed his bow at the target and shot forward. On the other side of the field, another soldier was practicing axe techniques, alternating between one-handed styles and two handed styles. Judging from his movements, it seemed like he'd be better wielding it two handed.

Inspired, Alex attempted to get off the bed. However, his legs felt like they were pieces of jelly being weighed down by lead, and his arms felt like they were chained to the bed. Realizing the only part of his body he could move was his head, Alex sighed, turning up towards the ceiling.

_Heh- how ironic. The one time I'm fully willing to fight, and I can't even get even on my feet. But it'll only be a matter of time. I will not allow myself to get caught off guard again like I was back at the harbor!_

_...More importantly, I had one of those dreams again. I don't get it. Just who is this Lodric, and why do I keep having similar dreams about him? Hold on, stop, that was poorly worded. What I mean to ask is why did I start dreaming about a man that I've never met before? Moreover, is he even real or not? Okay, okay, I've got to calm down- no point on thinking on something without a clear head. Let's see...when did I begin having these dreams anyway? Was it while I was in prison? No, it couldn't have been- I had nothing but nightmares down there._

_Argh, stop thinking about it already! Alright then, if it wasn't in the prison- that's right, it was after we were rescued! I had a few dreams during the last month or so about Lodric and the others. But why? I can't think of any reason why. Perhaps it's the result of one of Tribilin's drugs? Did he try to leave some kind of influence on my mind? No, that makes no sense. If he wanted to do that, he would have done something much less subtle. Damn, this is all useless...I can't think of anything!_

Just then, Mia entered through the door, and saluted, "Good morning, Lieutenant Terresca."

"Oh, good morning, Mia. Uh, so you're going to be calling me 'Lieutenant Terresca' from now on? You seemed to have no problem calling me 'Alex' yesterday when we were in the inn," Alex said.

"The circumstances have changed. Back then, I was your caretaker, merely watching your recovery for almost a month. Now that you're back to normal, you are officially a part of the UFTW military again. Even though your rank has dropped, I am a just a sergeant, and therefore you are my superior. It would be rude to refer to you as anything else," Mia explained, keeping a straight face.

Alex paused, then chuckled, "Hey, you saved my life. You could call me anything you want and I wouldn't mind a bit. It doesn't matter if I'm your superior or not. If it's easier for you, you can call me Alex. Alright?"

"...I see. You're right; it's much easier to just call you that. Very well then, I'll refer to you as 'Alex' and not 'Lieutenant Terresca'." Once again, Mia said this without a change of expression.

_Sheesh...she's so uptight. I know she's serious about being a soldier and all, but it's no good to be serious all the time. Besides, while I don't remember all of it, she didn't seem like that back when she saved me in Lavard. Did something happen between that and when I woke up?_

"Oh, that's right. In that case, instead of 'Mia' should I refer to you as 'Sergeant Alzen-'"

"NO!"

If Alex could move, he would have jumped in surprise. He glanced at Mia, who now looked...well, it was hard to describe. Her face looked somewhat distressed, even a little...desperate? Either way, Mia looked rather distressed for some reason.

"...D-Did I say something wrong?" Alex asked, frowning.

Mia gasped, then awkwardly turned her head away from Alex towards the floor, embarrassed, "Ah...no, I mean...I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me. Please, just call me Mia."

"O-Okay then. Mia it is," Alex said, frowning. _Just what was that all about?_

Mia waited a few more seconds, and when she turned back to Alex, her face had returned to normal, "Shall we begin your therapy for today?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

* * *

Eugene sat down at the desk in his quarters, staring down at a blank piece of parchment below him. In his hand he held a pen, and wrote:

_Supreme General Aurion,_

_Alex and Kanonno have awoken from their coma-like states. As a result of their torture and their lack of movement in the past two months, they require both physical and mental therapy. Mia Alzen has become their physical therapist. I know she isn't exactly the best choice for the position given her vague origins, but we have been keeping an eye on her for the past month- she tried to keep her training secret, but Annie managed to see one of her sessions. It is as we suspected- Mia isn't a recon soldier. According to Annie's report, the artes Mia used were simply far too advanced._

_Nevertheless, we decided to let her be their physical therapist because it gives us a better chance to spy on her. Although Alex and Kanonno should recover in time, we still have very little idea on what Mia is after. By putting her in that position, if something goes wrong with Alex and Kanonno's physical recovery, we'll know for certain if she's up to something. If it gets out of hand, I will execute her myself._

_We are leaving to join up with your forces by the end of this week. I shall join the caravan heading out of Depas, and I will be bringing about 3000 reinforcements. We can't spare any more than that, what with the main army still fighting off pockets of resistance back in Granvoise. I think its fine to leave the rest behind- who knows if there'll be an attack on Depas by sea._

_I will continue to have my men keep an eye on Mia, and will have a full report ready for you by the time we regroup with your units. Until then, stay safe._

_Lieutenant General Eugene Gallardo_

* * *

Fort Sevethrone. A large, wooden fort located in between Fort Cios and Helmos. About 3000 Pascan soldiers were living in the fort, each of them keeping watch on the surrounding perimeter. This fort was famous amongst citizens of Scollance for once being the greatest fort in the country in the earliest wars of Pasca, withstanding many enemy attacks and protecting Western Scollance. Nowadays, however, with all the new technological advances, the fort was now considered one of the weaker forts. Still, its forces were strong.

One soldier yawned as he stretched his arms out, cracking his neck back and forth. As he stopped, he resumed his post, watching the eastern wall and the cranks that opened the fort's gates. A cloudy sky had covered the fort, and it was raining tonight. The soldier, readjusting his helmet, looked around the fields, only to find nothing. He gave an exhausted sigh.

_Ugh...I hate having the night shift. You have trouble seeing anything._

Just then, someone else came up to the soldier from behind. The soldier reached for his sword, but relaxed when the man spoke first.

"I'm here to serve as your replacement. This is a secret drill set up by General Retz to test our position shifting abilities,"

The soldier looked confused, "I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean that in case a battle was to break out here, we're testing to see how fast we can shift soldiers in and out so that people like you can go out into battle on the fly if needed! Now hurry up!"

"Alright, alright!" The soldier said, groaning to himself. He headed towards the wooden ladder, placing his feet on the rungs. As he descended, he took a look at the other soldier. When he saw the man, he stopped.

"Wait, you don't have a sword. Who the hell are-?"

Before the soldier could finish his sentence, the other man tugged on the ladder, sending the soldier falling towards the ground. Before the soldier could utter a scream, the man pulled out a dagger and sliced the soldier's jugular. Some of his blood hit the man's chest as the soldier fell to the ground, lifeless. Quickly, the man grabbed the falling soldier so he didn't make a sound. The man quickly placed him on the ground and also grabbed the falling ladder. He pushed it forward, returning it to its proper place. The man took a deep breath, and extinguished a nearby torch, praying that the other soldiers thought it was just the rain.

Seconds later, he heard faint footsteps, and prepared his dagger just in case. To his relief, he saw it was his comrades, and he sheathed his weapon. From both sides of him came seven different people. They waited three seconds, and all whispered at once.

"Avoli's messengers reveal the light of freedom."

The first man nodded, "I'm glad that you all made it. I trust that this means that you've all succeeded as well?"

"No problems at all, Seiud! We took care of those bastards before they even knew what hit them!" The second man from the right said, grinning.

The first man waved his arm, "Keep your voice down, Kayus. Just because we've cleared the eastern side doesn't mean we've won. We need to hurry in order to carry out the rest of the plan. What is the hour?"

"It is nearly ten." The second man on the left said.

Seiud nodded, "Good. Then the time has come. According to the encoded message from Commander Similob, the main army should be arriving now. They only have a force of about 1000, compared to this fort's 1500. However, our efforts should ensure that they get the upper hand."

After a moment's pause, one of the men spoke up, "Seiud- do you think that this is really a suicide mission? That none of us are going to make it?"

"...I wouldn't say that the possibility is 100 percent, but I will say that at least one of us is going to die here. There are about 150 patrols on the top of the fort, and none of them can miss what we're going to do. With the six of us, however, I think we'll have enough time. We all remember the plan, right?"

The six men nodded, the third man on the right speaking next, "We need to signal the others now. If they don't get it now, then they won't make it in time. The rest of the patrols must think something is a little odd by now."

"Right. Go ahead, Orosus."

With that, Orosus grabbed two torches, raised them slightly, and then put the one in his right hand out. He quickly placed the other torch back.

"Let's begin!"

Seiud and Kayus ran over to their sides. Over there lay the cranks necessary to open the gates up to the fort. They grabbed each crank, and began turning it. The other six men split up into groups of three, and guarded the two turning the cranks. Seconds later, they could feel the doors opening.

"There they are! Shoot them down!"

The voices of Pascan soldiers rang out everywhere around them. Seiud felt an arrow fly right past his ear, but he ignored the strong urge to run away and kept turning the crank. The three men in front of him held out their shields, made of strong steel, and blocked the arrows as they came. However, about ten seconds after the turning began, the third man on the right was struck and he fell down, dead. Seiud kept turning the crank faster and faster, nervously looking out towards the field. Just then, his head went uptight as he heard a familiar sound.

The sound of horses' hooves came from the darkness towards the east, rushing towards the fort. Even more determined than ever, Seiud turned the crank. At this rate, he had to guess the doors were halfway open. He took a brief look to his left, and saw that only one other defender was left. As the sounds of the hooves grew louder and louder, the fort grew into more chaos as the soldiers struggled to think of their priorities. Several swordsmen headed up the staircase towards the upper walls, weapons at the ready.

Seiud suddenly gasped as he felt the weight of the crank double. When he realized the cause, he frowned, his head lowered.

_Kayus...dammit!_

His determination reached its peak with his friend's death, and Seiud began turning the crank harder and faster than ever. It felt like his muscles were going to explode, but he ignored the pain. The final defender was struck down by an arrow, and Seiud knew then he had to hurry. He kept turning and turning as arrows whizzed passed him. He had almost opened the door, when...

_Wham_.

An arrow had crashed into his right arm. The force of the arrow knocked Seiud off the wall. As he was falling, he managed to grab the ledge with his left arm, fighting off the excruciating pain in his right arm. He looked down towards the gate. It was mostly open, but not fully; enough to let in most of the UFTW/Green Blades forces, but a bit narrow, which could lead them into a slaughterhouse if not fixed.

Seiud glanced up at the ledge. Grunting in pain, he raised his bloody right arm up to the ledge, and pulled his body up back onto the upper wall. He grabbed the crank, and continued to turn it, his body screaming in pain. Even though his right arm felt like it had been shot off, he managed to grip the crank with it, and thus began turning it faster.

Soon enough, the soldiers noticed Seiud was not dead yet. The firing resumed, and the arrows flew around. Noticing one of the dead defender's shield was nearby, Seiud kicked it by the bottom with all the strength he held in his legs. The shield flew up into the air, managing to block several arrows that almost hit Seiud.

_A nice trick- but it'll do nothing than buy me an extra second or two. I must hurry!_

Seiud could no longer hold the pain back any longer, and screamed at the top of his lungs as he continued to turn the crank. With his scream, every archer in the area figured out his position, and fired directly at him. At that moment, the crank stopped, the door having fully opened. Seiud noticed something on the ground. He reached for it...

Two seconds later, the arrows connected. A loud _bang_ was heard a millisecond before that. The foot soldiers on the upper walls froze at the sound, and were entranced by the sight before them momentarily.

Seiud was leaning against the crank, his body pierced with countless arrows, his blood beginning to drench the ground. In his hands he held a large wooden axe, the blade flat on the ground. Right next to that axe was the wooden handle of the crank, chopped off from the rest of the mechanism. Seiud's face had lost all emotion, his life completely drained out of him. The way the scene had been set up, it looked like a painting or a marble statue in a museum, preserved forever.

Just then, a volley of arrows came over the upper walls from the opposite side, striking a few soldiers. The UFTW and Green Blades joint force had almost reached the fort, charging towards the now completely open doors. A mass of Pascans ran over to the doors, preparing their weapons. It was too late for them to close the doors, but they had enough time to form a spear defense line.

The clash began almost instantly. Several archers on horseback fired their arrows at the spearmen, managing to take out a decent number of them. However, many still remained, and some members of the cavalry were unable to stop their horses in time, crashing right into the spears and dying. The first infantry division came in behind the cavalry, and engaged in close combat with the spearmen. Senza, who was riding on her horse, unsheathed her twin swords, and got down, charging at the spearmen.

"Seven Crowns!" Senza swung her arms backwards, and then ran up to two spearmen. Senza leapt into the air, kicked both spearmen in the neck, and then stunned them by hitting their helmets with the blunt end of her swords. As they stood there, dazed, Senza slashed across their chests with her swords, and then thrust them through the enemy's armor. Both men fell to the ground, dead from the attack.

Senza continued her charge, dodging spear thrusts and parrying swings. She continued to slash all the enemies in her way. From the back row, Nomvar was covering her with his bow, accurately shooting Pascan soldiers from far away. Knowing it was Nomvar; Senza made a mental remark to thank him later, and then continued to slice away...

* * *

Four hours later, a Pascan soldier retreated into the military base, running in. The general in charge of the fort was standing in the middle of the hallway, having finished suiting up for battle. He wore light armor all over, including a helmet that covered his entire face in order to protect himself. Rather than wielding a single sword and a shield like most Pascans, he had twin swords on both of his hips. The soldier who had entered saluted him, and the general saluted back.

Eventually, the general ended the salute, "At ease, soldier. I was just about to enter the fray myself. Do you have some sort of business with me?"

"Yes, sir! General Retz, we're being decimated out there! One of the soldiers in particular is giving us trouble!" The soldier answered.

"One man is giving you all that much trouble?" General Retz said.

The soldier shook his head, "Not a man, sir- a woman. And a powerful one at that. She wields two swords, just like you do, and is a great fighter! She doesn't appear to be a member of the UFTW, so she's probably a member of the Green Blades!"

Upon hearing this, General Retz gasped, "A...woman, you say? Let me ask you a question: does she have brown hair?"

"Huh? Well, she's wearing a hood, so I didn't really get a good look at her hair. However, a lot of her moves are- well, similar to yours."

General Retz paused, waiting a few seconds, "...I see. So it must be _her_. The situation's changed, I'm going directly into the battlefield. Order all archers to cover me; I'll deal with this woman myself. Let no one else interfere with our battle! Tell everyone else to guard the inner entrance!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier replied.

With that, General Retz charged out into battle, taking his swords out. He jumped into the fray, slaughtering UFTW soldiers and Green Blades members left and right. His skill with his blades was simply incredible, clearly ironed after many years of training. He noticed Senza also fighting, knocking more and more soldiers out of the way. When Senza met Retz's glance, he ran even faster towards her, and she charged to meet this challenge. When they were close to each other, Retz swung his right blade down at Senza. Senza parried Retz's blade, and jumped back when he swung down his left blade. She quickly charged again with another technique.

"Lion's Rampage!" Senza swung her left sword in an upwards motion, forcing Retz to block. She quickly sliced her right sword across, but he blocked that one too. Senza then slashed in an X-cross motion, trying to stab him in the chest. To her shock, he easily blocked both of her blades. Senza jumped to the right, rethinking her strategy. After a second, she charged again and swung her right blade down towards his feet. Retz merely leaped over, and blocked a thrust from Senza's left sword. Senza's eyes widened.

Desperate to follow up, Senza tried to strike again, thrusting both her swords at once. Retz simply jumped out of the way and swung down at Senza. Senza dropped to the ground, but one of the blades managed to slice her arm. Gritting her teeth, Senza got back up and performed Lion's Rampage again. Retz managed to block every blow, and he seemed to be getting frustrated with her.

"I'm disappointed...I thought I trained you better than that, SENZA ALUEMAN!" With that, Retz performed Lion's Rampage himself, swinging his left sword up, his right sword across, and then the X-cross. Senza had gasped when she heard that voice, but managed to block the first swing, the right swing, and jumped to the side to avoid the cross. As she recovered, she glanced at the man in shock.

"...Master- I mean, Captain Alasim Retz...I-I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I had no idea that you were stationed in Scollance," Senza said, stunned, though there was some relief in it as well.

"It's General now, Senza. After I was released from the service of the Aluemans, I joined up with the Lavard military, and I've been fighting with them ever since. So it really is true. I'd heard recently that you were the second-in-command of the Green Blades, but up until I now, I just couldn't really believe it. The last time I saw you, was 14 years ago, shortly before your father's death, so you were...17, I believe. Who would have thought that the little girl I trained all those years ago would grow up to be my enemy?" Retz sighed regretfully.

"Time changes a person, Retz. You should know that better than anyone that I'm the not the kind to just give up because someone told me to."

Retz couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, as the one who trained you, I know better than anyone about that. I can remember all those days when you used to beg me for secret training lessons because you wanted to learn how to fight, while your older brother had little interest in my training."

"Hmph. So what you're saying is that you didn't wish to train me because I was a woman?"

"Quite frankly, from your current attitude, I'm beginning to question whether you really are a woman. But then again, you always were the rebellious type. If you weren't the daughter of a noble, I'd have suggested that you should've been disciplined. Though your brother was the complainer out of you two- quite poor material for a warrior, but a fair quality as a nobleman. I acknowledge your superiority in that regard."

Senza cracked a smile, then frowned, gazing up towards the walls for a brief moment in silence, "Master Retz, let's stop this. Look at us- we're talking like we used to back during all of those training sessions. We're both citizens of Pasca; we both love this world- so why do we have to fight?"

"Isn't that statement itself hypocrisy? Unless I'm mistaken, the Green Blades were the instigators of this rebellion that eventually merged into a war. In fact, why don't you surrender now? I can't say anything about your fiancé, but I think I can guarantee your safety. All you have to do is claim that you were threatened by Nomvar to join his rebellion, and you'll be free. All charges against you will be dropped, and you can live a normal life."

Anger flashed by Senza's face, "So you're telling me to sell out my future husband and the thousands of lives the two of us are responsible for in exchange for my freedom? What kind of person would be so incredibly selfish to do something like that!"

"Tribilin Hemoses would do it in a heartbeat," General Retz said.

"Don't you dare compare us! I won't betray anyone! I have nowhere else to go, nor do I want to go anywhere else! My place will always be with my men, with Nomvar! The Green Blades will never throw away itself to the corruption of Pasca! We have always fought as one, and will continue to fight as one until Pasca is free! Even if I loved you like my own father, even if you were the one to teach me to use these swords, I will kill you here!" With that, Senza returned to her battle pose.

General Retz shook his head, and also returned to his battle pose, "So be it. I may have also loved you as a daughter, but by my own pride, I will not allow myself to be defeated here! Come on and defeat me if you can!"

With that, General Retz charged straight towards Senza. However, Senza did not budge an inch. Instead, she stood in the rain with a sad look.

"It's as I thought. You still go on about pride after all these years. I was hoping that _you_ would have been the one to learn, but I suppose I was wrong. Farewell, Master Retz..."

Retz stared in confusion at her words. Suddenly, he heard a shout from one of his soldiers.

"GENERAL RETZ! THE UPPER WALLS!"

General Retz stopped his charge, and looked up, his expression instantly changing to one of horror. Surrounding the upper walls were many Green Blades archers, every single one of them with their bows trained on him. Retz immediately began to panic, trying to find a way out, only to see all his exits blocked. He quickly stared at Senza, who still looked at him with regret.

"Senza...you impudent...! You distracted me as they set themselves up! This is not what I taught you at all!" General Retz, facing death, broke his calm composure and exploded in Senza's face.

Senza shook her head, "You're wrong, Master Retz. You're the one who hasn't learned anything at all. It was Nomvar who taught me this lesson- that pride is absolutely meaningless on the battlefield! All that matters is whether or not you kill or get killed! Your biggest mistake was insisting that you fought me one on one! It's true that I can't beat you in that kind of fight- I probably would never be able to no matter how hard I trained! But the Green Blades fights as one! With our combined strength, not a single enemy will be able to kill us! This is the end! FIRE!"

With that, all the archers fired at General Retz. At the same time, Senza charged at him with her swords out.

"Damn you! Damn you! If I'm going to die, then you'll have the honor of being my final kill!" With a roar of fury, General Retz also charged at Senza. As the arrows grew closer, both of them swung at the same time. The clanging of metal was heard, and one of Senza's swords fell to the ground.

General Retz stood there, stunned. He had been struck with many arrows, covering him all over his body. Senza's left sword had impaled him through the stomach, piercing his armor, while her right sword lay on the ground. Senza stood a fair distance away from him, panting, but unharmed.

"...You...you dropped...the sword in...your weaker hand...and...threw the other sword...at me...?"

Senza just nodded, a sad frown on her face, "It's unfortunate things had to turn out this way. Goodbye, Master Retz. Even if you were my enemy in the end, I still owe you so much. I'll make up for all of it in my life."

Retz stared at her in disbelief, and then fell to the ground, dead. The rest of the Pascans looked at each other, and then dropped their weapons, raising their arms into the air to signal their surrender...

* * *

Senza stood in Retz's room in the military base, sighing as she looked at his possessions. There wasn't too much in his room, mostly novels and military gear. One thing of interest that she found was his journal. She flipped through the pages, skimming through the entries, as not many of them were of interest.

Just then, the door opened, and Nomvar came in. Senza looked up, and an awkward silence broke out for a few seconds.

"I heard that you were in here. Are you okay? I know it must be tough, having killed your mentor," Nomvar asked.

Senza looked up, and sighed once more, "I-I don't know. It's strange...I feel like crying, but the tears won't come out. This was the man who taught me all I know about fighting, and yet it doesn't feel the least bit sad to me. I just feel...hollow. It's like losing a piece of a puzzle, yet not searching for it. I know that I'm not being clear about this, but that's the only way I can describe it. I-"

Nomvar gently grabbed Senza by the shoulders, "It's alright. You don't need to say any more. There are things that I too have problems expressing in words. But if you need to cry, then it's alright. I'll be there for you whenever the time comes, whenever there's something that you need to get off your chest but have no one else to talk to."

Senza nodded, smiling at Nomvar, "Thank you so much, Nomvar. That really means a lot to me."

Nomvar returned the smile, then turned serious, "So what's that book you have there in your hands?"

"This? It's Master Retz's journal. I thought I'd look through it to see if there was any special information that could be found, but I've come up with nothing so far. I don't really think that Master Retz was a very well known general, actually," Senza said, holding up the book.

"That's a good idea. Even if he wasn't in Valvus' inner circle, we might find out something about this place if we read it. Please continue."

"Of course," Senza said. She continued skimming the book, briefly glancing for any key words. On one page, she stopped, and frowned in confusion.

Nomvar noticed this, and looked at her, "Did you find something, Senza?"

Senza continued to frown, "I don't know if it's important or not, but I found a strange entry from about four-five months ago right here. I've never heard any of these words before, actually...the content itself is strange as well."

"Let me take a look," Nomvar said. Senza nodded, and handed the journal to Nomvar. Nomvar looked at the passage she was talking about...

_Bythos 24th, 1600,_

_All the research data obtained from the secret underground laboratories were taken today by one of General Hemoses' units. Apparently, Project Eosphoros has been canceled, and all materials and data collected from the project are being transferred to a new project of Tribilin's, apparently called "Project Brutcaste". I don't know what this new project is about, but frankly, I'm relieved that the experimentation here is over. Every time I went into that hidden room in the dungeon, it gave me shivers. However, they only collected a few of the corpses for research, and just told me to leave the rest in there to rot. I don't like the sound of that, but as long as I never go back there, it'll be like it never happened. Finally, my heart can be at ease..._

Nomvar stopped reading there, "Project Eosphoros and Project Brutcaste? What are those? I've never heard about them before."

"I'm wondering that as well. But this is Tribilin we're talking about here. He's probably got dozens of pet projects that he frequently works on," Senza replied.

"Hmm...First torture, then medicine creation, then surgery, memory alteration, just what is all of this? How is it that Tribilin is so proficient at so many different styles of medical research! He's only 30, how could he learn so much when he's only been in the field for a bit over a decade?"

Senza sighed, "I don't know. But we should worry about that at a different time. Why don't we try finding this secret underground laboratory? The journal mentions it's in the dungeons, so we might be able to find it."

"...Good point. Let's take a look."

* * *

"My Avoli...just what the _hell _were they doing down here?"

Nomvar and Senza had finally found the hidden laboratory, and stood there in silence, looking over the scene in horror.

Countless corpses were stacked all around the room, too many to count. The majority of the corpses weren't even human- or rather; they were something that resembled human. If they were to describe the majority of the creatures, Senza would have to call them angels. Indeed, many of them had wings on their backs, and would have looked absolutely beautiful, were it not for the countless disfigurements on their body.

Each set of angel corpses were different in each way. Some piles had angels that were missing a single wing, some had piles with both wings missing, others with their heads, arms, legs or all their limbs together missing. Another section of piles were filled with human corpses, also very disfigured. One pile had nothing but limbs on them, while the humans themselves were also missing limbs. Other piles of humans did have limbs, but for some reason, those limbs didn't look like they belonged on those bodies. Both of them looked back to the pile of angels with missing limbs, and made the connection. One more pile of human corpses had wings attached to them, all looking crooked.

But it was the last section of corpses that was the most disturbing. Both humans and angels lay in those piles, but they all shared common features. Many of them had gaping holes in their backs, their throats completed snapped, claw marks all over them, or missing limbs. But the ones with limbs were even more grotesque. These limbs looked completely different from the rest of their body, either by having claws for hands, blue colored limbs, bulging muscles, deformed heads that did not resemble anything human, bones piercing out of the skin, or complete dislocation of other limbs.

"Just what...were the Pascans doing here?" Senza exclaimed.

Nomvar could say nothing, just looking around the entire scene with horror. _Just what was this Project Eosphoros anyway!_

* * *

"Dr. Hemoses! The subject's...AAGH!"

Tribilin, Giza, and the cloaked man were all running down a hallway. Tribilin was smirking to himself, Giza looked curious, while the cloaked man was silent as always. They passed by the dungeons of Lavard Castle, running for the laboratories.

Tribilin let out a high-pitched laugh, "It's done, it's done, it's done! It's finally done! After all these years of work, I've finally done it! How's that! What do you think, huh? What do all of you at the Research Facility think. You said it was impossible! You claimed I was delusional! Well, who's laughing now, huh!"

"Calm yourself down, Tribilin. Just because we've finally done it doesn't mean that everything's set in stone. The subject is far from perfect, and can hardly be called a 'success'. Still, I guess we do have some reason to celebrate, what with you working to this goal for three years," The cloaked man said.

"You're amazing, Tribilin! You sure showed them!" Giza exclaimed.

"Damn right. Ah, there it is! Finally, I shall lay eyes on the fruits of my labor!" Tribilin shouted. He ran up to the door labeled **Project Brutcaste**, and opened the door dramatically.

The room was a complete disaster, wrecked all over. Shards of glass surrounded what had once been a tube, and a variety of fluids had poured out, mixing to create a terrible stench. The magitech that had been provided by Mithos had exploded, shrapnel lying all around the room. A scientist lay dead near the tube, a shard of glass having impaled him through the heart. The other scientists were all huddled up in a corner, shuddering in terror. The stone walls were all slightly cracked. However, the only thing that caught Tribilin's attention was in the center of the room.

A young, naked man sat on the ground, completely stunned. His skin was very pale, just like the white hair on top of his head. His red eyes were unfocused, and it didn't look like he knew where he was looking. He had some faint signs of muscles, but it was clear that he hadn't used them extensively in a long time. He was drenched in the various liquids, giving off a very foul stench. His body was faced towards the darkness of the room, his whole body seeming to flinch at the very presence of light.

Tribilin smiled, walking towards the man, "Yes...finally...Project Brutcaste is complete! I did it! I finally did it!"

"Well, he's flawed, but he's the best we're going to get. We'll find a way to work out all of the kinks in his body, and then he'll be good to go. But it's important that we make sure he is fully aware of himself, otherwise he'll be broken completely before we can even use him," The cloaked man spoke with caution.

"...You make a very fair point, of course. Very well. Let's make sure he understands exactly who is in charge here," With that, Tribilin walked even closer to the man, his boots soaking with the fluids. He stopped short of the man, and bent downwards to look at him. The man still didn't react to Tribilin's presence, looking forward with an unaware glance.

"Tell me your name,"

"..." The man was silent.

"I said tell me your name!" Tribilin shouted.

A short pause went by. Finally, the man looked up at Tribilin silently. After a few seconds, he finally answered in a weak, raspy voice.

"...Isaac...Taophen..."

* * *

**Finally done with this! I'm sorry it took three months just to get another chapter up! Allow me to explain.**

**As I mentioned last time, I went on a month long trip, and came back near the end of July. I then faced writer's block along with occupation by other issues. Then I entered college, where I'm having trouble balancing everything! There's also one other issue for why this chapter's late, and it's some bad news.**

**In August, I took up the job of becoming a fan-translator for a Japanese video game that I like, ****Never7: The End of Infinity****. Let me tell you, translation is a lot of hard work, but I'm really determined to do this project. Therefore, I'll be spending a lot of time on that project as well as this, so I'll have even less time for this story. However, don't worry: I'll never give up until I finish this story.**

**Anyway, how was the chapter? Yes, I'm aware it's not much but filler except for the end of the chapter, but I have to write filler to get to the parts I want. What drama would there be at all if I just skipped to the parts I needed to and Alex and Kanonno did most of their recovery off-screen? I don't know about you guys, but I think I would feel a bit cheated. Just six more chapters until the end of this arc, though!**

**Anyway, here's the profile for the new character presented in this arc.**

**Isaac Taophen: A man who was the main subject in Project **_**Brutcaste**_**. Judging from his appearance, he seems to be a Type 2 albino.**

**Age: 19. Hair color: White. Eye color: Red. Weapon: None.**

**Voice Actor: Spike Spencer. Seiyu: Daisuke Namikawa.**

**Here are half of the profiles for the characters in the "dream" segments.**

**Lodric: A passionate young man who leads a group towards an unknown goal. He is very hot-headed, but good natured.**

**Age: 23. Hair color: ? Eye color: ? Weapon: Sword**

**Voice Actor: Sam Riegel. Seiyu: Nobuhiko Okamoto.**

**Akena: A young woman who follows Lodric. She enjoys teasing people, but tends to get flustered when she's the one being teased.**

**Age: 24. Hair color: ? Eye color: ? Weapon: Lance.**

**Voice Actor: Stephanie Sheh. Seiyu: Kana Ueda.**

**?: A woman who is part of Lodric's team. She has a gentle personality. For some reason, her name cannot be heard by Alex.**

**Age: 22. Hair color: ? Eye color: ? Weapon: Unknown.**

**Voice Actor: Kari Wahlgren. Seiyu: Noriko Shitaya.**


	46. Chapter 44: Oaths to Protect

**Hello, Final Poke Mario Fan here with a new chapter. Let's take a look.**

* * *

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 44: Oaths to Protect

* * *

(A/N: In this following scene, _italics_ indicate dialogue going on in the dream, while normal text indicates Alex's thoughts through the dream in first-person POV.)

_"Lodric!"_

_"Hm? Oh, good afternoon, _. What's going on? Tired from today's battle?"_

_"Yeah, a little bit. But it can't be as bad as you, Lodric! You took a direct hit to the chest. I thought you were dead when that happened!"_

_"Hey, it's thanks to you that I'm still alive. If it hadn't been for that well timed Cure spell, I definitely wouldn't have made it. That dragon was insanely powerful, but it's fortunate that Protus and Fimoce found out its weakness. Still, it's good that Akena was able to finish it off when it happened. I'm really grateful to her."_

_"I see. So you like people like Akena, huh?"_

_"What? Don't be ridiculous. She's a good friend, trust me, and she's fun to be around, but she can be a bit too harsh at times. Her mood swings are quite scary too...I fear for the guy who falls for people like her. I don't really see myself with someone of her type."_

_"Really? Huh, I didn't know you thought that way, Lodric. I would have thought you and Akena would have hit it off well..."_

_"Hmm? Say, is something wrong, _? You seem rather concerned about all of this."_

_"...! N-No, nothing at all! I-I was just a bit curious, since you and Akena are always arguing, yet it never seems like you two are truly angry with each other."_

_"Oh, is that right? Well, anyway, with that dragon down, we only have another three to go, and then we can settle this."_

_"...And then?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"And then what? What happens after this is over?_

_"...I haven't put any thought into it. To be honest, I don't know how much of a future we really have after this battle. I mean...is it really that easy? I know I'm more of a fighter and I'm not that smart, but...I just wonder sometimes what will change after we've finished. Do you know what I mean?"_

_"I guess. What you're trying to say is what sort of lives at all we can have at all once we're done, right?"_

_"Yeah, that's right. I'd like to leave all of this behind somehow, but I know that's impossible. This battle...it will be a stigma on our souls for the rest of our lives, if we even have those when it's over. We have no chance for normality, but I would be satisfied knowing that we'll be saving countless through our actions."_

_"I agree. All the life that exists here...and the lives that have yet to be brought into it- each one of them deserves a chance to continue living. I can feel each and every one of their lives flowing through my body- it's such a wonderful feeling. To have that feeling go away forever is simply too sad to think about. Especially...if I stopped feeling yours, Lodric..."_

_"_...I..."_

_"When you got struck by that dragon today...you were an inch away from death, you know? My heart stopped in that second, and I was on the verge of bursting into tears. Because while I could feel everyone else's life...yours was so dim. If- If I hadn't used that Cure spell when I did, you really would have died, you know? I don't want that. Remember when I told you that I wanted to ensure that our world has a chance of survival? I feel so selfish saying this, but...Th-There's some things in this world that I want to keep alive more than others. Lodric, if you had died earlier, I'd be a sobbing wreck right now."_

_"..."_

_"I-I'm sorry. That was kind of embarrassing, wasn't it? I-I'll go now...I'll see you with the others later."_

_"Wait!"_

_"Ah..."_

I can feel it. This isn't me, but I can feel it. I can feel my arms- no, his arms- around a woman. She feels so warm, but even I can feel the sorrow in her body. This is the first time me and him have shared actual feelings. I can tell already that the emotions he is feeling right now are stronger than anything he's ever felt before. That's how I can feel this.

_"_, I promise you, I will not disappear. There's absolutely no way I'll leave you alone. Until the end of this long battle, as long as I have you with me, there's no way that I'll lose. And...I didn't say this earlier, but once we're done, there's only one thing I need to have a satisfying life: you. _, until whenever the world wishes to take us, can I stay with you?"_

_"...Yes. Yes! I-I want nothing more than that either, Lodric! I want to be with you until the end as well!"_

A choked voice. The sound of tears. The sound of happiness.

_"_..."_

Another feeling. A feeling so strong that it transcended this bizarre connection that we share. Another source of warmth. This sense is different, though. This warmth is coming from that girl's lips. The girl shudders at first, but seconds later, she calms down. Their embrace grows even tighter.

And then, I think I hear the faint sound of rustling from nearby bushes...

* * *

"Emperor Goden, General Izas has arrived."

"Excellent. Send him in."

Valvus was sitting on his throne in Lavard, waiting. Seconds later, the door to the hallway outside opened. Stepping through the doorway was none other than Darius. His eyes looked exhausted, and he had grown thinner since the last time Valvus saw him. Nevertheless, his eyes looked lighter, as if he had been freed from a large burden. The MPS was being held by one of the attendants next to him. Darius walked down towards the throne, and as he approached the steps, he got down on one knee.

One of the guards at the door whispered to the one next to him, "Is that...General Izas? What's he doing here? He just seemed to disappear off the face of the world after his loss at Besos. I assumed he had been exiled or killed, something like that."

After the other guard checked Valvus to make sure his entire attention was on Darius before speaking, "I overheard something about three months ago. I was on my patrol on the emperor's floor when I heard him speaking to someone. I didn't see anyone on my patrol, so I got suspicious and headed towards Emperor Goden's room. When I got outside, I heard voices, but I had some trouble making them out..."

"General Izas' voice was telling Emperor Goden about how he could no longer fight with...I didn't make out the name, but part of it was 'nonno'...Anyway, he said he could no longer fight with that person's words on his mind. Emperor Goden told him then, 'If that is the case, then you are temporarily relieved of your duty. However, there is a task I must have you carry out for me.' Before I could hear anymore, I heard another guard's footsteps approaching, so I quickly got out of there. But from what I could tell from that conversation, it seems that General Izas has been away for the past three months on an errand for the emperor. And..."

"Shh! Be quiet! General Izas is about to speak!" A third guard whispered. The two guards immediately stopped talking, and turned back towards the throne.

"Master Valvus, I have returned," Darius said, bowing.

Valvus nodded, "Welcome back to Lavard. Did your journey go as planned? Have you managed to conquer your inner turmoil?"

"I have. After we left Depas, I took a small ship out into the northern seas. For the first few weeks, I was completely lost in myself. I kept asking myself where I had gone wrong, what I did to let myself get so out of control in that last battle. Then, one day, a storm hit the boat. I struggled to stay alive, and at that time, I had a vision.

"I saw myself in a large, green field, stretching out to infinity, a great blue sky over me. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen- and I felt at so much ease when I was there. I felt like lying down and just closing my eyes there to take a short rest. I felt that I could afford at least that much.

"But then I heard two voices. They both said 'now is not your time' and 'don't blame yourself'. It was them, Master Valvus- it was Nadia and Elena. When I heard them, I looked up, and I saw both of them. It was but for a second, but I saw them. They had smiles on their faces, and looked exactly the same as the last day I ever saw them. But then they disappeared. I desperately cried out for them, screamed their names out, but there was no answer. As I lay there, ready to lie down and die once again, I then had an epiphany.

"'Now is not your time', 'don't blame yourself'. Those words kept repeating themselves again and again, as if I had been locked into a room where the sound kept playing again and again. I finally realized what it meant. Nadia and Elena were telling me to _live_. I thought that I had died on the day of their deaths, and as you know, besides serving you, the one who saved me, my only purpose in fighting was to find someone who could kill me. I never had a problem with that mindset.

"I was wrong, Master Valvus, I was wrong. I shouldn't hope to die for their sakes. I should be living for their sakes instead! That's why, from now on, I am not just fighting for my desire to die and repay you! No, I am fighting for everyone here on Pasca; I am fighting so that we can initiate Assimilation, but not just for my selfish desires anymore! I vow to you, Master Valvus, that from this moment onwards, I will return to the man I was all those years ago! I have returned as a man of Pasca!"

Valvus sat there in silence, digesting every word that came out of Darius' mouth. At the end, he finally gave a rare, father-like smile to Darius, "I'm relieved to hear that, Darius. I'm glad that you've found the answer you were looking for these last few months. Naturally, you are welcome back into the army and your post. You are one of my most trusted men. I always had faith that you'd conquer your pain someday, and for that, I'm delighted to see you again."

Darius' features relaxed, and he was close to tears from Valvus' words. However, he remembered something, and his expression clouded again, "I am truly grateful to hear your words, Master Valvus. You give me too much credit, honestly. But I just remembered there's something important I saw in my travels around the time of the storm. I didn't contact you with the blue light viewer because you ordered me not to until I returned to shore, but I must mention it now."

"What is it?" Valvus asked.

Darius took a deep breath, and looked around the room, "I can't tell you with everyone else in the room. This may worry the men, so I need to tell you in secret. Shall we move this conversation out of the room, or dismiss the guards?"

"The latter. Guards! Good work, your job here is done! You are dismissed, and you are all relieved for one hour! Make sure to return General Izas' MPS to his quarters," Valvus ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Each guard answered, saluting and leaving the room. After a minute, every guard left the room.

Valvus then looked down at Darius again, "You may stand, Darius. Now tell me, what was that you saw?"

"Before I speak, there are two things I need to ask you. One, do you remember the drawing that B- no, that _Kanonno_ drew while she was under our control?" Darius asked.

Valvus frowned, "Drawing? ...Ah, yes, I remember now. The one we took because we thought it reminded her of Terresia, right?"

Darius paused, "...Yes, that's the one. Second, on what day were Alex and Kanonno captured by Tribilin's forces?"

"...Caien 10th. They were in the prison for about a month. What of the date?" Valvus asked.

Darius nodded to himself, "So that was the date...Master Valvus, I saw the drawing in person. I saw the image in that drawing myself on the 10th."

Valvus' eyes widened, "Y-You can't mean..."

"I do, Master Valvus. I saw the Orphic Maze."

**(A/N: I made a really dumb and important error in this story regarding the Orphic Maze. Please see the A/N attached at the end of the chapter for details.)**

Valvus was shaking, "Impossible...why? Why? Has it come...to be the symbol of our deaths again? Right when we're so close to accomplishing our plans?"

"I'm not so sure about that, Master Valvus. It's true that the Orphic Maze formed just at the end of the Genocide, but this time around, it did nothing. It just...sat there, in the middle of the sea, in no place in particular. But it looked strange, like it was somewhat different from the last time we saw it," Darius explained.

Valvus, who had calmed down, frowned a bit, "Different? How?"

"There was a strange white light surrounding the entire Maze for a day when I saw it on the 10th, and a brief flash of blue light. But the next day, the light had completely disappeared, and it looked no different than it did when it appeared on that day four years ago. But strangely enough, it glowed again three days later, only for the light to disappear the next day."

"...Did you ever sail over to the Orphic Maze?"

Darius shook his head, "No. I must confess I was too afraid to. Afraid that if I did it, it'd trigger the end of Pasca by going into the Maze. The only way we can allow that to happen is for you to initiate Assimilation. So I left it alone, sailed away from it, and shortly thereafter, the storm hit."

"That was a smart choice. All our plans would have been ruined if that had happened. Still...this is an interesting development. I thought that according to Kanonno's memories, the Orphic Maze appeared in Terresia while she was there. But, I suppose speculating about it for now won't give us any answers. Very well, thank you for your report, Darius. You are dismissed."

* * *

_Bang!_

Kanonno's eyes fluttered open as the cart shook, moving her body over a few inches. Craning her neck up, she managed to sit up in the cart she was in, and then looked around her surroundings.

The cart was part of a larger caravan that was traveling from Depas to the UFTW forces fighting in Western Scollance. In addition to bringing them Eugene, Alex, and Kanonno, they were also carrying weapons with them that they managed to take from armories around the Northern Wastelands, due to a weapon shortage in the Western Scollance invasion team.

"I see you've awoken, Kanonno."

Kanonno turned her head outside the cart to see Mia walking alongside the cart. Her face was very composed as always, taking in her surroundings. She was wearing her sword on her left hip as always, but she also wore a brown coat that covered her body. While it was the middle of spring, the Northern Wastelands rarely got decently warm temperatures until the summer.

"Yeah, just now. Good morning, Mia. How are you doing? Are you tired of walking yet?"

Mia shook her head, "No. I can walk for hours on end in rough terrain without getting tired. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Kanonno frowned, "But it doesn't seem fair that I've got all this space up here while you're forced to walk the whole way. Are you sure you don't want to come up here even if you do get tired?"

"Like I said, I'll be fine. If I rest up there, I will be slacking off of my training. Your muscles have recovered a lot in the last week, but not enough to walk as much as me. On the other hand, I need to keep my body in good shape by walking. What if we're attacked by Pascan soldiers and they attack your cart or Alex's? I need to protect you if that happens," Mia explained.

"Protect? But we've got a lot of soldiers escorting us, don't we?"

"And if one of them happens to slip up and let the enemy through?"

Kanonno paused, silently contemplating Mia's words. After a moment, she spoke up,"...Say, Mia? Can I ask you a question? Why are you coming with us right now? Why? Your mission's complete, isn't it? So why do you choose to stay with us?"

"...Do you despise me?" Mia asked, looking towards the ground for an instant.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just curious about your reasons, that's all."

Mia's expression shifted slightly. Kanonno couldn't tell if she had lightened up or got even more serious, "...Kanonno. I know you may not trust me fully. No one really trusts me fully- though I can't blame them."

"H-Huh! No, I trust you!"

"Are you sure you don't even have the least amount of suspicion for someone who came out of nowhere and managed to rescue the two of you from a high-security prison single-handedly with little effort?"

"...I admit, it does sound a bit strange. But I'm sure you've got your reasons, really! Even if someone seems suspicious, if you've gone this far for us, you must have some good intentions behind it. So while I do admit you seem a little suspicious, I still trust you."

Mia paused for a few seconds, turning her head to the left before looking back, "I see. That's good to hear. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is no matter how suspicious I may seem, there's one thing I can absolutely assure you of."

"What's that?"

Mia lowered her head for a second, and then looked up in determination, "Kanonno. I swear this to you right now. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you and Alex with everything I've got. I won't let either of you die. I wish to remain by your sides for as long as I'm needed and protect you."

Kanonno looked at Mia in surprise, "Mia..."

"...Please excuse me. I'm going to check on Alex right now. We'll be entering the Ranuf Passage soon, and it's going to be darker from here on out. We won't stop for a while, so you should continue to rest up until it's time for your physical therapy, since it's Alex's turn for the mental therapy," Mia said. She walked away without another word, heading over to Alex's cart. Kanonno only watched this with an even more curious gaze.

* * *

At the same time, Alex was sitting back in his cart, looking at a book, entitled **Pascan Legends**. When he was training his muscles back in Depas, he gained enough strength to sit up, but not enough to walk around. Bored, Mia decided to give him a few books she had found in the military base. Curious a bit about the legend of the Goddess Avoli, Alex had decided to read up on her.

_...In the Grand Crusade, Pasca was on the verge of destruction. A nameless, evil demon tried to wipe out the entire world, destroying city after city. This only drove the world into more chaos, and mankind grew frantic, fighting each other as the foundation of the world crumbled around them. Many casualties occurred, resulting in the death of over half of Pasca. The rest of the world then fell into despair, and prepared themselves for their coming end._

_However, the Goddess Avoli was very sad at this destruction. One faithful day, she confronted the demon, and asked him, "Why must the world suffer for a single sin?"_

_"These people are not worth the lives they are granted," The demon shouted back, "All they do is cause wars, kill each other for power, and destroy their own lands! And they do not change either! For thousands of years have I watched them. The same pattern repeats itself every generation again and again, not realizing the folly of their ways. Why, then, should I not do future generations the favor of preventing the wars yet to come? This is the kind thing to do!"_

_The Goddess Avoli shook her head sadly, "You're wrong. It is true that these humans have fought time and time again. But have you yourself not stirred the seeds of violence yourself into their hearts? In that case, it is you who is truly at fault for the death of humanity!"_

_"I have done nothing. I have only caused to grow what was already in there. Those people desired nothing more than their own destruction, and so I merely granted that desire."_

_"That's only what some of them want! Why does that have to mean those who do not wish for death have to die?"_

_The demon looked down at her, "They too will develop the desire for death in this ever decaying world. Look around. Already have they been engulfed by despair. Despair leads to the desire for death, which I will use to annihilate them as well. In the end, I will have physically done nothing. Humanity will simply have caused its own extinction through genocide. It's already too late for you to save your people, Goddess!"_

_And then the Goddess Avoli stood firm against the demon, glaring back at him. For once, the demon felt stunned as he glanced at the eyes of the Goddess, "You're wrong. Humanity is not as weak as you claim it to be. For where despair lies, there is also hope. They hope that one day this will all end and that they can live in peace once more! That one speck of hope is stronger than even the deepest pit of despair! I will not let you touch my people anymore!"_

_And with that, the battle between the Goddess Avoli and the demon began. The battle lasted for four entire days, neither side giving an inch to each other. On the fourth day, the two of them finally reached their limits. Both exhausted, they gave it their all in one last final attack. And so the Goddess Avoli avoided the demon's attack and finally killed the demon once and for all with her powers, sending him straight back to Hell. But it was already too late. Their battle was so great that nearly the entire world had been killed from it. Only a few survivors remained, and the earth was in ruins. _

_The Goddess Avoli wept at this sight, "What have I done? In my struggle to defeat the demon, all I ended up doing was killing my own people! I am terrible- if this is the result of my efforts, then there's no more purpose to my existence. I shall give myself up for them, and sleep eternally."_

_And so, the Goddess Avoli shed more tears, and unleashed her power amongst her people. Her tears became a rain that engulfed the whole world, but it was a warm, gentle rain. A rain of life. Everyone who had died from their battle was revived in this downpour, and all the scorched land was made fertile again. As the people watched this scene in awe, they looked up to see the Goddess Avoli. Stunned, they all watched until her tears finally ended. Avoli then flew right into the World Tree, and disappeared forever. The story of her battle against the demon and her sacrifice to save Pasca made her go down as the Supreme Goddess and Goddess of Rebirth..._

Alex shut the book, and sighed. Just then, he became aware of his surrounding becoming darker, and he looked in front of him. A massive cave entrance awaited the cart, stretching as far as half a mile long. However, only a small section could actually be traversed on foot, which was where the cart was headed right now. Unlike the fields, there was still some snow on parts of the cave, but most of it had already melted away. The light of the sun grew darker and darker as the cave's shadow grew.

Alex and Kanonno looked from their respective carts as they entered the cave, watching as the last remnants of the Northern Wastelands faded away. They watched the scene with the exact same thought.

_I'm so relieved that I'm finally out of that place._

* * *

"Alright, we'll stop here for tonight."

The caravan stopped nearby a lake in the caverns. The entire cave had been remodeled by Pascan mages so that the path was a single paved road that went down all the way to Western Scollance. The caravan groups had split up, with Alex's group including himself, Kanonno, Eugene, Mia, and several other soldiers.

Eugene grabbed a scroll out, and looked at it for a second, "Alright then, Sergeant Alzen, it's your turn to cook for tonight."

Mia's normally stoic face broke out into fear, followed by panic. A small blush rose to her cheeks, and she looked down on the ground. Confused, Eugene spoke again.

"Sergeant Alzen?"

"I...I...I refuse."

"What do you mean?"

Mia turned her head away, blushing as she spoke again, "I...I can't cook."

"What are you talking about? Anyway can cook if they-"

"No, I mean I literally can't cook. If I do, none of you will be able to move for a day or so. I-I've tried in the past, and that was the result. If I were to describe what the 'food' I was trying to make in a word, it would be 'charcoal'." Mia continued to speak with an embarrassed face.

Alex's eyes widened in horror, "Seriously? What were you trying to make that could become charcoal?"

"...T...T..."

Alex looked confused, "What? I can't hear you."

"...Toast," Mia finally sputtered.

"..."

"Really?" Kanonno asked.

Mia looked back towards the ground again, "Y-Yes. It's like a curse that I was born with. No matter how many times I tried to cook, I always screwed up, creating something disgusting instead. Eventually, I learned my lesson, and just gave up on trying to cook altogether."

Kanonno looked in surprise, "Oh, I see...that's too bad. How did you eat when you were coming after us, then?"

"I stocked up on food from towns on the way, or I just ate at the inns I stayed in. To be honest, though, before that, I could never do the cooking in my unit, or in my family. My older brother would always do the cooking in my place, since he's an excellent cook. Anyway, I am not one to usually refuse orders, but this is the one exception I must make," Mia said, turning her face again. When she brought it around again, her face had returned to normal.

Eugene frowned, "I see. That's unfortunate, but I'll take your word for it. It's important to maintain our stamina, after all. Alright then, skipping Sergeant Alzen, next on the list is..."

Suddenly, Alex noticed something shining in the corner of his eye from the campfire. Curious, he turned towards the light, and noticed a small object lying on the ground. He then picked it up, holding it in his fingers.

_Is this...a diamond? _

The diamond was mostly covered in dirt, but there was a small part still exposed, which was the part that had caught Alex's attention. Like most diamonds Alex had seen, it was processed, but it still needed a lot of work to actually look good.

_Must have been a rush job. But what's something like this doing here? Wait...come to think of it, Scollance has many small mining villages in the mountains that divide Western and Eastern Scollance, don't they? So maybe a group of merchants were transporting these to the Northern Wastelands, and one of them accidentally slipped out somehow. Still, it looks rather nice, so I might as well take it._

Alex then placed the diamond in his vacuum-space sphere, and turned his head back around, only to accidentally come face to face with Kanonno. Alex and Kanonno awkwardly turned away from each other, their faces downcast and clouded with trouble.

_Damn it...I still can't face her...I still don't _deserve_ to face her._

* * *

Anzam sighed as he lifted the last crate, putting it in place in the storage room. He clapped his hands together, and walked outside the door, heading upstairs. Opening the door, he found himself in a bar. He looked over to the left, where he saw a bartender staring at him.

"That's the last of them. Everything's where you wanted it, sir," Anzam said.

The bartender smiled, "Thank you very much, young man. I'm sorry to bother you with this- I understand the military must be really busy right now, and yet you took time out of your day to help me. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you."

Anzam shook his head, smiling back at him "It's no big deal, really. There's nothing really big to do while I'm recovering, so I figured I'd do something to help the people around here. I understand more and more people have been moving from here in Phesta to Lavard to get away from the war, so it must be hard to get help around here."

The bartender frowned, "Hmm...that's true. Especially with the UFTW finally approaching from both sides. Some of my workers said they were evacuating all the way to the capital itself! Can you believe it? Well, I suppose that they're just trying to stay alive, that's all. But I've heard that the UFTW hasn't destroyed a single town that they've been through."

"...That doesn't mean the army itself is all pure and good. Every single army has its collection of psychos who get a kick out of killing people for fun. Just look at General Hemoses. You've heard the stories about him, right? And there's others out there...others who slaughter without discretion. They don't give a damn who it is that they kill as long as everyone in their sight is eliminated. Those people...don't even stop to think about what it is they're truly doing! Taking away sons, brothers, fathers, even women and children! They..._She _didn't understand a thing! And then...and then...!"

The bartender grabbed Anzam firmly by the shoulders. When Anzam realized what he was doing, he gasped, and became silent, "I'm sorry about that, sir. I don't usually let my temper get ahold of me. I didn't mean for you to hear all of that."

"Your...Your family was at Calamos, weren't they?" The bartender asked.

Anzam's eyes widened as he looked over at the bartender, "How did you..."

"My friend had a daughter there. When he found out the news, he was absolutely devastated, and broke off all contact with the world. His wife had died years earlier, you see, and so his daughter was all she had left. He started coming to my bar more and more each day...drinking crates of the stuff you just put in my cellar. He didn't talk to anyone except me, and even then, he was drunk when he did. Many of the words he said were similar to the ones you just said now. He lost his job, lost his home, and eventually died out on the streets a broken man."

"..."

"You're different from him...you're in the military. You have what you need to survive, and you have a way to keep on living. I won't say anything to you about that. Just...don't get yourself caught up in what happened. I don't know how many of your family members you lost in Calamos, but please, don't let the tragedy consume you. I don't want to see any more people like my friend again, throwing their lives away from the tragedy of the Genocide. Can you accept that?" The bartender asked.

Anzam was silent for a few seconds, "...I understand what you're saying, sir. I promise you, I will not end up the way your friend did. I'm going to keep on living the rest of my life for myself and my desires, and I will get over what happened to me someday. So you can be rest assured, I won't be like that."

The bartender smiled, "Thank you. Thank you very much."

"I'm sorry, but I've got to get going now. I need to return to base and rest for now. It was nice talking to you, sir." Anzam said.

The bartender nodded, "I understand. Thank you so much for your help today. Goodbye."

Anzam then turned around, and headed towards the door, closing it behind him. When he finished, a frown formed on his face.

_I'm sorry, sir, but you don't understand. You don't understand that the cause of the Calamos massacre is still out there, alive and well. I can avenge all of them- all of the people who died in Calamos! When I do that, then and only then can they finally rest in peace!_

* * *

Anzam sighed as he lay back in a chair in the Phesta military base's mess hall. Only a few other soldiers were here at this hour, and they were all with friends, telling each other stories and laughing. Anzam then took another drink of his water, gulping it down in a single gulp.

"Hey there, Anzam!" A voice called out.

Anzam turned his head towards the voice, "Good afternoon, Goez."

Goez grinned. Goez was a young man slightly younger than Anzam, who had been stationed at Phesta when Anzam had arrived there, and the two had met while he was recuperating. While Anzam wouldn't call him a friend, he did at least think of him as a very good acquaintance. Unlike Anzam's serious attitude to the military, Goez was much more easy-going,

"Anzam, I noticed you weren't around at the base today. Where've you been, buddy? We haven't talked in ages!"

Anzam sighed, "We just talked yesterday. And as for your question, I was out in the city today."

Goez looked surprised, "What, really? Even though you're still healing and everything?"

"My wounds aren't that bad anymore. I just have to avoid straining myself too much, and I should recover in a few days," Anzam said.

"I see, I see. So, Anzam, find any women there to your liking?" Goez

Anzam looked at him in disbelief, "What? Why the random question?"

Goez smirked, "Heh heh, no need to hide it! Everyone's got at least someone they like! And Phesta's crawling in beautiful women! So I guess going 'out in the city' is what they're calling it nowadays?"

"Shut up," Anzam said. At first, he rolled his eyes, but then grew more serious, "I've got no one at all like that. All my life is dedicated to re-"

"Yes, yes, revenge, revenge. You know, I was also killed by the Pascan Descender, but-"

Anzam frowned, "Was the rest of _your_ family killed permanently by the Calamos massacre?"

"W-Well, no..."

"Right."

Goez sighed, looking more serious, "Okay, yes, I understand, you want nothing more than revenge for now. But what about after that? You told me you wish to be a blacksmith, but is that all? You have no desire for someone else in your life?"

Anzam shook his head, "That's- that's not it. It's just the thought of someone else in my life never really came to me ever since I started my path to revenge. It's not like I'm ignorant of women or something like that, just that I feel a lover would get in the way of my revenge. Besides, I hate to admit it, but I tend to get angry whenever I think about it- I don't want anyone else to have to put up with that kind of anger. So once I'm done with my revenge, I think I will seek out a woman."

Goez had a faint smile, "It seems you do have a soul after all. Still, do you have at least some type of woman that you like? I know you told me you don't want one right now, but you're at least interested in having one in the future, so do you at least have that on your mind?"

Anzam's serious expression suddenly softened, and he grew embarrassed, "Well...yes. I'd like someone...shy, I guess?"

"Shy?"

"Yes, shy. Someone who is a little awkward with other people, but who has a great inner strength deep down. They're always shunned by society, but all they want to do is love or be loved by other people. They tend to be very caring, and are really kind people. They teach you so much about life, and that you can't simply judge a book by its cover. Also, they're very supportive of other people, but at the same time, wish for other people to support them. It's that kind of thing," Anzam said with a nostalgic smile.

Goez frowned, "By that tone of voice, it sounds like you've had experience."

Anzam nodded, "...There was a girl I knew when I was still living in Calamos. Not a girlfriend, simply a friend. Her name was Maiya, and she was my neighbor. She was a very shy girl- so shy that she had trouble starting a conversation with anyone. But every day that I went out into the woods to chop down trees, she would be waiting for me with a nervous smile. She loved to knit- whenever I asked her about knitting, she would always break out of that shell of hers and go on and on about knitting, what she would knit, the various techniques of knitting, and so on. I would only understand half of what she was saying, but I would always just sit there and listen, since I could tell that's all she really needed- someone to listen to her."

"And she was caught up in the massacre too, wasn't she?"

"Yes. When I left the village, she was very sad to see me leave, but wished me good luck with a smile on her face. She would write to me every single month I was in Yazak, asking me how I was doing, how things were going over there, including how my family was, and her thoughts and feelings. She wrote more than she spoke, that's for certain. Occasionally, she would send things she had knitted. I still have all of them with me. Before news of the massacre got to Yazak, I knew something was wrong when her monthly letter never arrived..."

Goez grew even more serious, "Anzam...judging from everything you told me, she didn't just like you as a friend, she lo-"

"I know! ...Sorry about that. I know. I realized it myself far too late. I cursed myself for not talking to her about it. I always stop and think to myself; what if I had done things differently? What if I had accepted her feelings? Would she have come with me to Yazak? Would she still be alive today? Would...no, I always stop myself there. The fact is, I didn't, and she's dead. If I could turn back time, I would. But there's no way that's possible. The only thing I can do to satisfy the pain in my heart is thinking about killing the Descender and getting my revenge. Only then can her soul rest in peace," Anzam explained, a complicated expression on his face.

Goez sighed, "Well, I can't tell you what to do with your life. Good luck to you then, Anzam. Just...don't do something you'll regret, alright?"

Anzam nodded, and Goez left the table, leaving Anzam all alone...

* * *

_"Lord Yggdrassil."_

_"Kratos, are the preparations for the plan almost ready?"_

_"About that, my lord, I have an idea. An idea that will speed up the plan quite a bit."_

_"Interesting. Tell me this plan."_

_"..."_

_"Yes...Yes, this is perfect. No, in fact, it's even better than what I came up with. Well done, Kratos. I knew I could still trust you to follow me after all this time. I will be waiting for you to put this into action..."_

* * *

**Hey guys, yeah, I pulled off a really dumb move early on in the story. I was going to mention in Chapter 2 that the Orphic Maze had disappeared from Terresia right after Alex had defeated Widdershin, but I forgot to put it in for some really dumb reason. I will update Chapter 2 at a later date to include this information. I hope none of you are too bothered by this fact.**

**Oh, I realized I never told you guys what the MPS stands for, have I? It stands for Multiple Partition Spear, since it splits up into seven individual spears (Well, five now, actually, since General Halvun managed to destroy two of the smaller spears.)**

**And here I go with- *sigh* yet another "casting" change. I know that this is pretty pointless in regards to the story, but as I said, this helps me write the characters better, so bear with me. If you have any complaints about it, please tell me, and I'll just get rid of the system entirely. Alright, here's the change.**

**Anzam Saitona: Seiyu change from Toshihiko Seki to Daisuke Ono.**

**Anyway, that's all for now. I understand this was more character-based than the last few chapters, but I go back to Ad Libitum action in the next chapter. See you then!**


	47. Author's Note 2

**Hello! Final Poke Mario Fan her- *greeted by stares, and sighs* Yeah, I know what you're all thinking, "Where the hell have you been for the last year, you asshole?" Well, I will admit, I have NOT been working on the story for most of the year. My reasons include college life, but mostly because my current work as a translator leaves me for little time to focus on the story. Unlike this story, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are interested in playing the game I'm translating, so I've been hard at work on that. However, I do have some good news! Chapter 45 is currently 75% complete! I've been working on it a bit over the last year, but I've been putting a lot of effort into it in the last week or so, and now I feel like it'll be out soon!**

**Now then, on another note, I feel that the current format of the story isn't working out, so I've modified the chapter order a bit. That is to say, I've decided to cut down the story by several chapters by changing events around, skipping unimportant battles, and shortening the wait time between several arcs. Here is the current plan:**

**Chapter 46-49: Symphonia Arc**

**Chapter 50-51: End of Scollance Arc.**

**Chapter 52: Interlude.**

**Chapter 53-54: Advance Into Lavard**

**Chapter 55: Climax**

**Chapter 56: Final Chapter.**

**In addition, RM3 will no longer be 60 chapters, but about 40 instead. Either way, I've mostly prepared the plot of that story, so it'll all come together soon! Thank you very much for all your patience, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 45! Originally, Chapter 45 wasn't meant to be a very important chapter, but with the way it's currently going, it'll be one of the key chapters of the story (mostly because I combined elements that I was going to use in later chapters into it). Stay tuned!**

**However, please note that I am no longer making any promises on how long chapters will take to come out at this rate.**


	48. Chapter 45: Alex: Reconciliation

**Final Poke Mario Fan here, next chapter prepared, here we go!**

Disclaimer: With the exception of my OCs and my vision of Pasca, I own nothing.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology II: Trials of Life

Chapter 45: Alex: Reconciliation

**(CAUTION: This chapter is slightly sexually explicit, as the incident from Chapter 37 is brought up again.)**

* * *

_"GAAAAAAH!"_

"… _Lodric, are you all right?"_

"_Ugh… Yeah, I'll be fine, Akena. He got me pretty good, but I should be okay for now."_

"_Should I heal you, Lodric?"_

"_No, save it, _. Fimoce's more hurt than I am, use your spells on him. Even so… damn, this is tough! "_

_"TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARD!"_

_"What the- it missed again?"_

_"Lodric! He's coming again! Don't let your guard down!"_

_"I know, Protus! Damn it, what the hell is with this guy? He's much stronger than the final dragon!"_

Pain. Pain in the arms. Pain in the legs. Pain in the chest. Is our connection getting stronger? Ever since he embraced that woman, I can feel more and more of him. The pain I'm feeling is very faint, but it must be much better compared to what he's going through.

_"Akena! Behind you!"_

_"I'm on it! O countless falling stars, come forth! METEOR STORM!"_

_"What the hell? He can even dodge that? Something's wrong, guys! We need to pin him down somehow!"_

_"It's no use, Fimoce! I've given it everything I got, but he just keeps evading me! It's like he's hooking around every attack I use and strikes me from behind!"_

_"Wait a minute...'Hooking around'?"_

_"Did you get an idea, _?"_

_"Yes! ..."_

_"I see, I finally get it! Alright everyone, let's do it! TAKE THIS!"_

_"It's working! We've got him where we want it! Solbes, finish him off!"_

_"Leave it to me! __**Prepare to face a fate worse than Hell itself! SOUL DIVIDER!**__"_

* * *

Alex opened his eyes, sitting up in the cart he was in. His eyes turned to the brilliant sky, the sun shooting upwards. He yawned, stretched his arms, then looked back at the rest of the group. The caravan was travelling down a dirt road, headed off the main roads so that they could meet up with the UFTW. According to the scouts, they had made contact with the main force, and were approximately about a day and a half to the main force.

_We're almost there...I'm getting kinda nervous! It's been so long since I've seen the rest of the group! I wonder how they'll react to me and Kanonno. I can understand them getting excited over Kanonno, since she was always friendly with them, but I won't be surprised if they don't put up much of a fuss over me. I wasn't exactly the most sociable of people, after all. But that was the old me, the "me" who refused contact with others out of fear of getting hurt and hurting them with my inevitable parting. But that "me" is no more! I've changed! I want them to see the new me, the one who will gladly be their friend until the end with a smile on his face! I know it may be too late, but...I want them to accept this new "me"!_

"Good morning, Alex."

Alex turned to his left to see Eugene walking near his cart, carrying his spear on his back. Alex managed a smile, and began speaking "Good morning, Eugene. This is a rare visit. I've never seen you come over to me before today."

"Given that you're close to your recovery, I'd say that I could pay you a visit. After all, we should reunite with the rest of the UFTW by tomorrow night. It's a shame, because according to the scouts, the main force is planning an attack today on Fort Revae," Eugene said, shaking his head.

Alex looked at Eugene with surprise, "Huh? I never heard of that before! Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Eugene frowned, "You and Kanonno are no longer generals. Therefore, you are not privy to that information anymore. Furthermore, just look at yourself. I admit that you're in much better shape than you were when we left Depas, but you're not ready to fight in a life-or-death battle yet. If I had told you about that earlier, you might have done something reckless."

"What makes you think that?"

"I know what you're thinking right now, Alex. You haven't been in a battle for three months now, you were captured by the Pascans, spent an entire month lying down on a bed, and have spent the last few weeks recuperating, Therefore, judging by your personality, I think you're frustrated that you haven't really contributed to the war effort in this time, and want to make it up in some sort of way. Am I right?"

Alex's eyes widened, his mouth dropped slightly, "You're right...that's exactly how I feel now. How did you know, Eugene?"

"I've seen soldiers in the same position as you who have felt the exact same way. I know what you're going through, Alex, but even you must be aware of your body's limitations right now. If you tried fighting in your state, you'd be defeated easily and probably killed. Descender or not, you're still a living being, and all living beings must heal when they've been wounded. You understand, don't you?"

Alex nodded, "Yes. I know what you mean. If I had to make an estimate, I'd say I'm about sixty percent back to normal right now. But Mia's been a great help in my physical recovery. She seemed to know everything I needed in order to get back into fighting shape, and did it in a really quick amount of time, too. I owe a lot to her right now,"

Eugene looked around him for a second, and then looked at Alex, "What do you think of Mia? Are you saying we can trust her?"

Alex paused, and frowned, "...I don't know. I don't know what's she's thinking. I can't tell if she's being honest, is a spy, or if she has some sort of ulterior motive. I mean, it feels like she has good intentions, but I just can't tell."

"What do you think would be the worst-case scenario, then?" Eugene asked.

"Hmm...I guess the worst possibility is that she's working directly for Valvus. I mean, she got us out of our cells fairly easily, knew about my teleportation power, and has good knowledge of the way we fight. If she's working for Valvus, he could have told her everything, sent her to rescue us and get us out of there as a ploy to gain our trust so that she can spy on our moves. That's what I think."

"Then in that case-"

"But I never said that's what I really believe. I only said that it's the worst case scenario. If that's what it really is, then that would mean she's an enemy. But I...I want to believe in her. I know she's not telling us everything and that she's got some plans of her own, but I want to trust her, that even though I have no basis to trust her with, that I should trust her and believe in what she's doing. I know it sounds really gullible and that I may be nothing but a fool for this, but I trust that Mia is a good person who has nothing but pure intentions for us."

Eugene looked a little surprised at Alex, "Alex, you've matured. I don't necessarily agree with everything you just said, but I'm impressed that you're that willing to trust a person. Still, trusting someone without a solid basis is very dangerous...I would be more careful around Mia if I were you."

"..."

* * *

"Stahn! Wake up already!"

"Zzz...Zzz...Zzz..."

"Damn it, wake up right now!"

"Zzz...So noisy...five more minutes...Zzz..."

"I can't believe this guy! Wait a minute, that's right, didn't Lilith say...Right! I'll just go get it now!"

"Zzz...Zzz...Zzz..."

"Hey Stahn..."

"Zzz...Zzz...Zzz..."

"RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"AHHHHHHH!"

Stahn shot up out of his cot, turning his head left and right. Rutee was standing a little bit away from him, holding a frying pan and a ladle in her hand, shaking her head and sighing.

"Geez, what is it with you, Stahn? It's practically like this every day? Am I going to have to do this to you forever? I feel bad for Lilith and your grandfather, or anyone who'd have to put up with that for any extended period of time for that matter," Rutee said, shaking her head.

Stahn yawned, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "...Yeah, yeah, I'm up, I'm up. What is it?"

Rutee sighed, "We're going to discuss our next battle plan now, so we're all gathering in the main tent. But because it took you so long to wake up, you're just going to have to eat while we march to the fort. Got it?"

"Zzz...Zzz...Zzz..."

"DON'T GO BACK TO SLEEP WHEN I'M TALKING!"

* * *

The UFTW's main officers and Ad Libitum had gathered around a table in the main tent, overlooking a map of Western Scollance. Several markers had been placed at various points in the map, colored red and blue. The one most people were focused on was a red marker near the edge of the mountains on the southeastern side of the map. Jay walked over to that point of the map, and started pointing to a white marker close to the red marker.

"As you can see, this is our current position. Given that the last town was quite a while away, it's only natural that we can't call for reinforcements during this battle, or at least not ones that will get here quickly enough. However, General Gallardo's caravan is coming this way, and should reach here by tomorrow night. But the enemy is acting strange, and there's been a large concentration of them moving in towards the fort over the last few days. We can't stall any longer, so we need to attack without there help to take over this fort. Now then, on to information regarding the fort."

Jay pointed back to the red marker, "This is Fort Revae, the last stronghold the Pascans hold on the western side of the Scollance mountains. We've recently received word from the UFTW unit fighting in Southern Scollance, and they've informed us that they've completed their conquest of the region, and are awaiting us to finish up here so that we can assault Helmos, the largest port in all of Pasca. Once that's done, we'll move up to the capital and launch an attack. However, let's focus on the issue of the fort itself.

"Compared to some of the recent battles we've been having, we're not quite sure how to rank this fort. While the defenses of the fort are higher due to its positioning, at the same time, their overall numbers are very low compared to what we've faced recently. Regardless, we cannot take them lightly due to aforementioned defenses. Therefore, we've decided to play this battle by running a sabotage operation. If it works, we'll be able to wipe out the enemy while disabling the defenses at the same time. Now then, here's how it'll work..."

Suddenly, the meeting was interrupted by a UFTW soldier running into the tent. He saluted, then ran over to Kratos.

"General Aurion, there's a problem!" The messsenger reported.

Kratos paid full attention towards him, "Speak up. What is this problem?"

"Our scouts have reported that the enemy has sent a fourth of their forces to the northwest! The troops that left were mostly lightly armored and were about half of the enemy's cavalry!" The messenger said.

Jade frowned, "My, my, half of the cavalry, you say? That's strange... why would the Pascans even consider doing such a thing? They know we're out to take their fort, so they send away their most powerful force before doing so?"

"Wait a minute. Didn't you say earlier that General Gallardo's unit was coming from that direction?" Raine asked, concerned.

Kratos frowned, "Of course, that's it. They're after Alex and Kanonno. Information about their arrival and their position must have leaked. This is bad... we're only just about to get them back. We cannot afford to lose them twice."

"Then what should we do? Can't we send them so help, or if not, then go ourselves?" Chester asked.

"We can afford about 200 soldiers to help them. However, considering that this is a fourth of their forces, this means we can afford to cut some corners on the current operation if we keep the full force," Kratos said.

"General Aurion! Are you suggesting we just leave them to fend for themselves?" Farah asked, shocked.

Jay stepped forward, "Actually, we can afford to spare about 120 men to pursue the enemy. If we send a portion of both General Curtiss's unit and General Aurion's unit, then we can still execute the plan with the appropriate numbers over hear. Would that be satisfactory? 60 men from each of your units: 20 cavalry and 40 infantry each."

Kratos paused for a minute in contemplation before rising his head, "That is acceptable."

"I have no objections with it. I'll still have enough men left to complete the operation," Jade said, pushing his glasses up.

"Then it's decided. With the exception of 120 less men, the plan will proceed without major alterations. We'll have to take into account the Pascans reduced numbers as well..."

* * *

"Well done, Isaac, well done!"

Isaac stood in the middle of a dark room, panting as he gazed at the scene before him. Many dead soldiers stood before him, many of them UFTW prisoners. However, there were quite a few Pascan soldiers amongst the dead as well, wearing the colors of Tribilin's unit. In each of Isaac's hands were training swords, though there were other training weapons around him as well. His body was nearly entirely covered by white armor, yet despite the heavy burden, his body still moved swiftly. Tribilin stood in the corner, watching with a smile.

"... All enemy units have been exterminated. No signs of life-"

A soldier twitched, groaning on the ground. Without missing a beat, Isaac rushed over to the downed soldier and slashed across his throat. The soldier instantly stopped moving, now dead.

"-detected."

"Good, good! You're making much faster progress than I expected! At this rate, you'll be combat ready in a few weeks. And with your condition being what it is, we've got to get as much use out of you as possible in these next few months. Heh heh heh... you're going to be my ultimate trump card, Isaac Taophen. Just remember what I told you."

"I understand, Master Hemoses. You are the one who gave me this form, and I pledge to you my eternal loyalty."

Tribilin nodded, "Excellent. Very well then, let us take a break for lunch. There are some more things I have to explain to you then..."

* * *

"Well, I'd say that you and Lieutenant Terresca are ready to go."

Kanonno looked up at the healer in surprise. It was time for her daily check ups, and so she had gone to see the healer. When she got there, she found Alex already there, speaking with the healer. All they could do was awkwardly glanced at each other for a second, then turn away. Back to the present...

"Seriously? We're already healed?" Kanonno asked.

The healer nodded, "Yes. You've regained nearly all of your motor functions, and your muscles had virtually healed up completely. Furthermore, you've been doing well in your combat excercises, though I must ask you to be careful the next time you're in battle: not because you can't do it, but because it's been a while since you've been in a battle, so your skills may not be fully prepared yet. Just watch yourself out there. Other than that, you can go."

Kanonno smiled, "Thank you very much for everything you've done for me in the past month! If it weren't for you, I might still be lying down in bed."

The doctor laughed, "Nonsense! Any doctor with therapeutical knowledge could have done this! I just happened to be the one who was assigned to you, that's all."

"Even so, that doesn't change the fact that you were the one who did all of that. You really should give yourself more credit, I honestly didn't believe that we'd be ready to go so quickly. Don't be so quick to sell yourself short."

"Ahaha, thank you, Colonel Earhart! You're too kind, honestly!"

Just then, Alex came out of the reverse side of the caravan, having finished speaking to the psychologist. He turned around, said a few words to the psychologist, and nodded. Just then, his eyes met with Kanonno's. The instant she saw him...

_The image of Alex lying across from her, smirking, panting like an animal, violently trying to break free of his restraints, and then-_

Kanonno turned her head away, trying to get that image out of her mind. Alex sadly turned away as well, and started walking away from the caravan. Kanonno shook her head several times, and once she felt she had gotten the image out of her head, she began to walk away as well.

"Colonel Earhart, wait a minute," A voice said.

Kanonno turned around, having noticed the voice belonging to the psychologist, who sat on the other end of the caravan. Confused, she walked over towards him, "Yes, what is it?"

"Can I speak to you for a minute?" The psychologist asked.

Kanonno nodded, and stepped back into the caravan. The psychologist was currently writing something down into what appeared to be a notebook. Light flowed into the normally dark caravan from the open canopy from where Kanonno had entered from. A wooden wall of sorts separated the healer from the psychologist, who finished up his notes and looked up.

"I saw what happened just now. Colonel Earhart, are you still angry at Lieutenant Terresca? I know we've been trying to tackle this for the last month or so, but it doesn't seem like your relationship is improving. I know that you've just been cleared for battle, so if it doesn't improve soon, it could cause some serious problems," The psychologist said.

Kanonno frowned, tilting her head downwards, "I know that, really! But I… I don't know what to feel about him. Even... even when I'm trying to think of way to express it right now, I'm just so torn between it all! On one hand, I want to forgive Alex and try to move on. I want to return to the way we were before all of this happened. But whenever I see him..."

_The image of Alex lying across from her, smirking, panting like an animal, violently trying to break free of his restraints, and then-_

"All I can see is that image! I don't want to remember all of that! I feel sick everytime I remember, and so I can't bear to look at him. I never thought Alex would actually do something like that! I thought he would have looked away, or at the very least, not done that, but... but... If that had never happened, I could easily reconnect with him right away! But as things stand now... I just can't..."

The psychologist sighed, and rubbed his eyes, turning to a page in his notebook, "Colonel Earhart, listen carefully. I'm supposedly under orders not to tell you anything that the other has said, but… Lieutenant Terresca has told me his side of the incident. I wasn't fully able to understand the details, but I thought you might want to hear this. Like it or not, you did work alongside this Tribilin for years, so you may actually be able to understand this story."

Kanonno paused. _What… what should I do? Alex… what does Alex have to say about this? _

"… All right then. Tell me the details," Kanonno said.

"He acknowledges that on that day, he saw you naked, and admits to… doing that. However, the interesting thing is what happened before that. Lieutenant Terresca says on that day, he was given drugs in his food, as you both were every meal. However, he told me on that day, they put something else in his food. But he only seemed to consider this a minor detail, considering everything else that happened that day," The psychologist said, flipping through his notebook.

Kanonno raised an eyebrow, "Another drug? Did he mention what it looked like, smelled like, or tasted like?"

The psychologist frowned, "He told me that he couldn't see it because it was in bread, and he didn't have time to smell it. However, he said that later, when he had broken free of the drug's influence, he could clearly tell the afteraste. It was the taste of rosemary mixed with saffron."

Upon hearing those words, Kanonno gasped, and a memory hit her like lightning…

* * *

_Kanonno, in her Belladonna armor, watched in horror as the prisoner in the cell in front of her violently thrashed around in his cell. There were several soldiers in the cell with him, each one of them unarmed. One of them charged straight at the prisoner, but the prisoner grabbed both of his arms, twisted them, and threw the soldier to the floor. Before the soldier could recover, the prisoner straddled the soldier, grabbed him by the neck, and started violently strangling him. As this was going on, the prisoner lifted the soldier's neck and kept bashing his head into the ground. Blood splashed everywhere as the assault continued, and the remaining soldiers could only watch in horror at the spectacle in front of them._

_Suddenly, Kanonno heard footsteps, and frowned when she saw Tribilin walking towards the cell, his trademark smirk on his face, "Quite the show, wouldn't you say?"_

"_All right, Tribilin, what have you done this time?" Kanonno said, her voice containing a slightly sharp edge to it._

"_My, my, what makes you think _I _had something to do with this?"_

"_Because whenever something strange like this happens, it always turns out to be the result of one of your experiments or something like that."_

"_Ahahaha, what can I say? You catch on quick, Belladonna. All right, I'll tell you my secret. You see, I put some of this in the prisoner's food just now," Tribilin said this, then reached into his pocket, where he pulled out a small case of pills, handing it over to Kanonno. Kanonno looked at the label, and frowned._

"PRIMALIS REVERTIS_? What kind of name is that? It sounds like you just randomly made up two words on the fly and stuck them to a medicine bottle. Then again, a lot of your medicines are like that. So, what's this one do?"_

_Tribilin just smiled, "What, you can't tell by the name? '__**Primal**__is __**Revert**__is. In order words, to revert someone to their primal instincts. It is made up of all sorts of nasty ingredients, so in order to disguise the taste, I included rosemary and saffron to the formula. It doesn't add anything, but it makes the pill easier to swallow. If I didn't include it, they might throw it back up, so I had to include that. Needless to say, results like this… have been occurring quite more frequently. Heh heh heh…"_

_The implication behind Tribilin's words caused Kanonno to feel a shiver run up her spine, but she tried to repress it as she looked back at the scene, "So by reverting him to his primal instincts you mean… you turned him into this?"_

"_Humans are cruel beasts deep down. They desire nothing more but to eradicate all those who stand in their way, to have as much power as possible, and to remove anyone they see as a threat. It's mere competition, the survival of the fittest. While nowadays, humans try to achieve such goals through blackmail, manipulation, and social techniques, what they truly wish for deep down is to _kill_ their enemies. And when humans lose all reason and revert to their primal instincts, they can achieve that goal. That's what I intend to create here."_

"_So this drug makes them become incredibly violent? Then why are those men fighting him?"_

"_I promised that if any of them can kill him unarmed, I'll pay them 25,000 Gald. What I didn't tell them is that he used to be a strong soldier before he was sent to these dungeons for insubordination. His current strength is being augmented by the drugs, so he'll have no problem killing them. Furthermore, he considers all of those who are not him a threat. But you're not entirely right. It doesn't just turn them into violent, bloodthirsty killing machines."_

_Kanonno once again felt a chill through her body, "What do you mean?"_

_Tribilin's expression actually darkened, "What I'm saying is if I had thrown a woman in that room instead of men, he'd be screwing the living shit out of her instead of killing her. Procreation and pleasure are two more of human's primal instincts. Naturally, sex accomplishes both of these traits. And if I were to restrain him and she was naked, that wouldn't stop him from pleasuring himself to the sight of her body. It's practically guaranteed to happen."_

_Nausea welled up in Kanonno's throat. She looked up at Tribilin in disgust, fully expecting him to be smirking. Instead, she was surprised to find his expression neutral, no hint of a smile anywhere on it. She then quietly left the dungeon, heading back upstairs..._

* * *

Kanonno's eyes widened, and she fell to her knees, her whole body shaking, "What… what have… what have I done? All this time… I've been blaming Alex for something that wasn't his fault! I… I…"

The psychologist looked at Kanonno with concern, "Colonel Earhart, are you all right?"

Kanonno's head quickly shot up, "Where's Al- where's Lieutenant Terresca now?"

"As you know, I spoke to him just before you came in. He should be by his cart, I believe."

Kanonno then sprung to her feet, then quickly ran out, ignoring the psychologist's voice as he called out for her. Her legs felt slightly off, but the weeks of physical therapy had clearly paid off, as she could now run through the fields without problem, and was almost running as fast as she could before she got captured. Many of the UFTW soldiers looked in shock, but Kanonno didn't have time to address them as she headed to her destination as fast as she could. Many thoughts rushed through her head as she dashed.

_I understand… I finally understand. From the start, Alex was never in the wrong. I kept telling myself he would never do something like that, and I was right. It was Tribilin's fault again… it's always his fault. He put Alex through that specifically so that I would lose my trust in him. I can still remember what I told Tribilin right after they stripped me naked and told me they were bringing Alex in._

"_**It's all right… I trust Alex… He won't give in to your trap… he won't do anything! Alex isn't that kind of person! Not everyone believes in the same things you do, Tribilin!"**_

_No… that excuses nothing. It's true that my initial belief was correct, but that doesn't change the fact that I've been wrong about him the rest of the time and treating him terribly for something that wasn't his fault. While I've felt like the victim this whole time, now it all makes sense. Alex wasn't ignoring me, nor was I giving him the cold shoulder. Well, I was, but that's not the point. The point is that Alex must have been suffering just as much as I am. He doesn't even realize that it was the drug that made him do that! If he did, then he would have said something a long time ago!_

Kanonno finally found Alex at his cart, just as the psychologist said he'd be. He was walking with slightly unsteady, but mostly firm steps, talking too several soldiers. They nodded as he spoke to him, and when he finished, they all went off, and he entered his caravan. Kanonno then looked around, took a deep breath, and climbed aboard, approaching Alex.

Alex looked up at Kanonno, mixed feelings clearly reflected in his eyes, "O-Oh, Kanonno... what it is?"

"Um, well, er, you see..."

_Why? Why am I having trouble saying it? What happened to your resolve, Kanonno!_

"Kanonno?"

"I'm sorry! It wasn't your fault!"

Alex's mouth dropped slightly, "Huh? What... are you talking about?"

"All this time, I've been blaming you for what happened down in the dungeons of Lavard, but it wasn't! It wasn't your fault! You did absolutely nothing wrong, and I shouldn't have treated you the way I have for the past few months!"

Alex gritted his teeth, and shouted, "Kanonno, stop! Why... why are you saying this? Why are you even talking to me? I don't deserve to even speak to you!"

Unable to control himself, the words that Alex had been holding back to Kanonno finally poured out, "You did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet I had to go and do that! How could anyone want to speak to me again after committing such a terrible crime! I should have been trying to help you, yet all I could think about was... Anyway, I'm worse than scum... I'm even lower than Tribilin for doing-"

"NO! It wasn't you, it was the drug!"

Alex looked at Kanonno, stunned, "What do you mean?"

"On the day it happened, you tasted a strange drug in your food, didn't you? I heard about it. Alex, that wasn't just an ordinary drug you took. It was a special drug Tribilin made called **Primalis Revertis**."

"What's that?"

"It's a drug that, when taken by humans, reduces all of their thought processes and instincts down to the basic level. They When humanity started out, people had no language, no culture, no laws. They acted purely on instinct and did whatever their bodies wanted. Their thoughts were limited to basic levels, such as, for hunger 'I want to eat this', or when thirsty 'I want to drink'. There was very little more to their thoughts than that. For example... when you heard someone approaching that you couldn't see, was your first thought to kill them?"

Alex, who was listening intently to Kanonno's words, shifted through his memories of that day, finally fully breaking through the lock he had constructed to block all the memories of that day. He then remembered something:

* * *

_Alex suddenly heard a noise coming from directly ahead of him. He braced himself, preparing for anything Tribilin had to throw at him._

_**Destroy it. What you cannot see is a threat.**_

* * *

"Your thoughts were reduced to that level by the time you were set up in that chamber. When you saw me naked, you had already lost all rational thought. I-It's hard for me to say this, b-but... You wanted to... to... have sex with me... didn't you?"

Alex froze, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He clenched his hands into fists, his shoulders shaking. His breaths were shuddered, and his eyes were cast downwards. After a long time, he finally spoke, "... Yes..."

Kanonno seemed a bit uneasy from that answer, but shook it off and continued speaking, "That was also the result of the drug. It was a primal instinct in you that took over when you saw me naked, and as a result... you did that. Once that happened, the effects of the drug ended, probably because it caused your concentration to return."

Alex looked at himself in shock, "Then... then that means..."

Kanonno nodded, "Yes. This was all planned by Tribilin from the start. Not only did he want to humiliate both of us by bringing us down to that level, but he wanted to promote discord and distrust between the two of us. And, I hate to say it, but... he almost succeeded. If I hadn't learned that you were drugged with Primalis Reverits, I... I didn't know if I'd ever be able to forgive you... I'm such an idiot. It should have been obvious from the start that it was something Tribilin caused."

"Kanonno, I..."

"I was wrong! I'm so sorry! I acted like I was the one who was suffering, but in reality, you must have had it much worse than I did! Not only did you have to deal with me ignoring you all the time, you must have been consumed with the guilt from inside! And my constant ignoring of you made that guilt only worse! I saw it. I saw it in your eyes each time... yet I completely ignored it because I... I... I'm so sorry!"

Kanonno began to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her shoulders trembled as her hands fell to the floor of the caravan. A particularly strong wind blew into the caravan at that moment, blowing Kanonno's tears onto Alex's hands. Alex sat there, taking in all of Kanonno's words in shock, and stared at his hands. The coldness of Kanonno's tear was rushing through his finger.

_So... so that means that I wasn't in control of my body at the time? That it was all a drug created by Tribilin that caused me to do that? Then that means... That means I'm innocent! All of it was just another one of Tribilin's tricks! So I never did that out of my own will! That means... that I've been worrying for nothing for the last few months! Still, it feels so good... I finally feel free!_

Just then, Alex felt another rush of cold through his finger. He looked up, and saw Kanonno continued to sob. Waves of concern rushed through Alex's body, and his thoughts quickly changed directions.

_Wait, what am I doing? Kanonno's blaming herself right now! No! What am I saying? This was still partially my fault! She knew what was wrong with me once she heard of the drugs I took! I should have just told her everything from the start! But if I truly am innocent, then that means everything I've feared for the last three months has been for naught! I can't let her end up like me! She can't go blaming herself for what happened!_

And then, as if controlled by some force by above, Alex instinctively did something he had never done in a long time.

Alex embraced Kanonno, her sobbing stopping immediately, replaced by a large gasp. He held her tighter and tighter, his hands around her back. His head was by her shoulder, his nose inches away from her hair. At that moment, the world around them completely faded. There was nothing else in Alex's mind but him and Kanonno here. All thoughts of anyone seeing them or hearing them completely faded away from his mind. All that mattered was the fact that he could feel the warmth of the girl in front of him.

"A-Alex...?"

"It's all right... you don't have to blame yourself. We were both at fault here. If we had just told each other everything from the start, we could have avoided everything! Why were we so blind that we couldn't realize that? But that doesn't matter any more. What happened back in that prison doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that you and I are right here, alive and well."

"But... but I ignored you for something that wasn't even your fault! I saw it in your eyes each time! You were the one who wanted to approach me while I rejected you! Just minutes ago, you were the one saying you didn't deserve to talk to me! You were doing what I'm doing now! However, unlike you, I truly am guilty! I couldn't even trust you during the last few months!"

Alex shook his head, "That's not true! You still trusted me the whole time! Even if you didn't think so, I know for a fact that you did! And I never fully thought that you had lost all your trust in me either! Deep down, I knew that you still held on to a small bit of faith for me!"

"You're not making any sense! How can you say that?" Kanonno asked through her tears.

Alex smiled warmly at her, "Because if we didn't, why are we still wearing our necklaces?"

Stunned, Kanonno put her hands to her neck. Indeed, she felt the silver chain necklace with the emerald on the end was still there, the metal feeling cool against her skin. Looking at the back of Alex's neck, she saw that his necklace was there as well. She hadn't even remembered putting it on after being captured. Regardless, Alex was right- it was still around her neck, even after all these months.

"We both gave these gems to each other, and they're a symbol of our friendship. Doesn't the fact that we're both still wearing them mean that even through the past couple of months, we still trusted- or rather, wanted to trust- each other to a certain level? I saw that you were wearing the necklace this whole time, but it was only now that I realize what it meant.

"So don't blame yourself. We were both responsible for dragging out this misunderstanding, but in the end, neither of us had anything to do with the cause. There's no need to punish ourselves anymore. Because in the end... what happened doesn't change the fact that I, Alex Terresca, am still your friend, Kanonno. No matter what happens, until the day I die, I swear I will continue to be your friend. I will never lose faith in you."

A few moments of silence paused as Alex's words sunk in. The only sound that the two could hear was the sound of the cart moving along the road. After what seemed like forever, Kanonno finally spoke.

"... Me too."

"Huh?"

Just then, Kanonno embraced Alex back. He felt her strong yet still somewhat thin arms around him, her hands rugged yet still slender. Her head nearly rest on his shoulder, her nose mere inches away from his hair. Her tears had finally stopped, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, a genuine smile finally rose to her face.

"I swear I will do the same thing. I will never lose any amount of faith in you ever again, Alex. What you've said now will forever remain in my mind, so that I know that even if everything points against it, I'll know that I can trust you. You're right. I should have realized it all along. You're my best friend, someone who will never abandon me and someone I can always trust. I never want this to happen again... I don't want to lose our friendship over a stupid misunderstanding like this. On my life, I promise that I, Kanonno Earhart, will never lose trust in Alex Terresca ever again."

"Kanonno..."

And then, a completely foreign feeling spread through Alex's body. His entire body felt warm, as if it was being bathed by gentle sunlight. It felt like there was a fire inside his chest, but not a painful kind: rather, it was the warmest sensation that Alex had ever felt in his life, as if the flames were dancing around inside his chest. His head felt slightly warm, It was strange and somewhat embarrassing, yet it was the most comfortable feeling Alex had ever experienced before, something he could never explain in words.

_Wh-What is this feeling?_

However, before Alex could further contemplate this feeling...

"Enemy attack!"

Alex and Kanonno broke out of their embrace, their expressions now tense. The announcement had come from a soldier outside the caravan, so the two of them looked outside. In the eastern hills, a unit of Pascan soldiers was approaching: some on horseback, some on foot. The rest of the caravan had reacted with surprise, most of them hurrying to prepare their weapons to counterattack...

* * *

**To be continued in Chapter 46: Immaculate Catharsis.**

**Hey there! So originally, like Chapters 37-38, this and Immaculate Catharsis were meant to be one chapter, but it became very long, so I decided to split it here. Hope this satisfies you for the time being!**

**Incidentally, here are some of the changes I made here from my original draft:**

**- Alex and Kanonno's make up was originally scheduled for Chapter 50. It also would have had some slight Alex x Kanonno in it, but I decided to leave it out in the end so that I could give their relationship more time to develop.**

**-Alex and Kanonno weren't scheduled to recover until Chapter 48. This change was mostly brought about due to the fact I did some research on physical rehabilitation over the past year, and I learned that it doesn't take as long as I thought it was.**

**-UPDATE: Removed some text from this chapter that spoiled the next one.**


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